The Palace of Wolves
by freaknweird651
Summary: Koga finds Sesshomaru in a mind-boggling state. Will the wolf be able to find the yokai hidden underneath the ice? Or will Sesshomaru doom all foo dogs, and wolf yokai, in one fell swoop? Kogax Sesshomaru, mpreg, character death, blood, etc
1. Chapter 1

The Palace of Wolves

Heat- a time when females generally become more passive and ready for male suitors. Not a huge problem at all for yokai in sync with the demons inside them. A problem for demons who are not in sync with their demons( or, their inner emotions and needs).

Marked One- A marking given to a Daiyokai or yokai by their mate's venom. It usually takes the form of markings inherited by birth. It gives a mated pair the ability to feel each other's emotions and, in intensely close relationships, the ability to speak telepathically or even, read their mate's thoughts. It also gives them the ability to communicate over long distances.

Daiyokai- a royal blooded yokai- Sesshomaru and Inu No Taisho are a good example. Known for being much stronger than their yokai counterparts ; usually having bright markings on their skin, and a coat color of black, white, or red. Only able to eat the flesh and blood of other demons, as well as humans.

_Italics mean a character's thoughts_

"blah"- means a character's dialogue.

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Sesshomaru, a tiny ball of white light, zipped through the trees. The silver moonlight filtering through black branches as he fled for his life, fled for his pride, his titles. For everything he had.

Behind this tiny ball scores of demons followed, bending trees, smashing through rocks. Shrieking their angry voices to the heavens and scattering birds to the winds in fear.

Normally Sesshomaru would have been more than happy to engage them. In fact, had been doing so these last few days. But it had wasted more time than he'd thought, more precious time than he had. The change had taken ahold of his body so fast; making him weak. Hungry. Tired.

Vulnerable.

Rin was in the hanyou's human village; Jaken, in the Foo-Dog Palace. Ah-Un, comfortably safe in the stables of the palace with plenty of food and water.

It had been about five years since the defeat of Naraku.

And it had been about five hundred years since Sesshomaru had taken a demon- or demoness- to his bed. Triggering the response his body was having now.

Causing a transformation in him he'd never thought possible if he hadn't heard it from his mother's own lips. He'd been fighting these damn hoards for days. He should've fled, should have believed her, should not have wasted his time on them.

But he did. And now he was out of time.

He paused and leaned against a tree, golden eyes unfocused. His normally sixty inches of beautiful silver locks sweaty and tangled at the ends.

_The first week will be the transformation. The last week, your yokai will be in heat. You must stay in the Palace. I forbid you from leaving. _

Sesshomaru panted as he remembered her words and his own.

_I will not. I will stay at the outpost. No yokai will catch my scent there. And I'll not provide you or anyone else with heirs to the Foo-Dog Palace, **mother**. Not in this life._

Ignoring the high-pitched whining noise in his ears and the huge gash in his side where he'd been struck.

_We shall see. But remember, if you come back with a belly full of bastards…_

Sesshomaru's clawed hand pressed tight over the wound as it tried to close.

_It'll take but one blow to rid you of them._

Remembering the wicked way Inukimi's claws had glittered in the light. And remembering the odd way he'd felt afterwords, the heat and anger that had rushed through his chest for no reason. Why should he be angry?

There would be no pups. No bastards, no nothing. He'd come home empty as he always did and gloat. And she would be relieved, assured that she could sit on the Palace throne for a few more hundred years.

_You needn't threaten me with something that will never occur._

Yet it had left him angry. Hell, he was still angry. It was part of the reason he'd fled, rather than stay locked in the Palace for this transformation. Tended to by Inukimi's servants and cooed over and fawned over and probably paired with one of the last remaining cousins of their ruined Foo-Dog line.

Weak. That's what they were. He would never lower himself to be mated to them.

He'd rather be mated to those monsters behind him. At least they weren't sniveling cowards. But the idea of being pregnant, of carrying a pup, made him want to die.

_Never. Never. It will never happen. _

_Fuck._

All he had to do was hide. Then, everything would be back to normal. He felt more blood leaving him and felt quite dizzy.

For some reason his healing had been slower than usual too. Busy ruining the rest of his body. Bright blue blood was pulsing out of it with every beat of his heart. Him! The Lord of the West! It was so unacceptable to be this weak.

Sesshomaru gazed up at the peak of the mountain wistfully. There was an outpost there at the very top. So far from everything, so cold, the air so thin that no one could catch his scent. He needed to get there. He would be safe.

He looked back at his enemies with venom, and his lip raised to show a deadly canine.

_And when I am myself again… You will be dust. _

There was a challenging roar as they caught his scent again. Followed by a few more in different directions, and two from straight ahead. They were trying to cut him off. Sesshomaru gritted blood-stained teeth. He'd not been the hunted one since he was a pup… and he didn't like the role one bit.

He transformed again into that light, speeding off.

There was another yokai speeding through the forest that night. A wolf demon named Koga. Hair as black as night and eyes the glittering, unmerciful blue of a winter lake. He was following the horde of demons with some interest; having ditched Ginta and Hakkaku some time ago. They were decent enough in a fight, but this was far too many for them, and he didn't want them getting hurt.

He could take care of this lot just fine; he'd spend the last five years without his shards.

The last five years pushing himself to his utter limits.

There was quite the variety of demons; centipede people like Mistress Centipede, giants, and of course the usual array of grossly large but entirely stupid demonic animals that Koga and the other wolves of his tribe often fed on. Non sentient.

He leapt on the first from behind, kicking its ugly pig-head clean from its wide shoulders. Red blood spurted from the body in two pulses before the gigantic creature came down, tearing another tree down with it. He climbed atop its large, purple, steaming corpse and waited for an assault from the others.

That was how they usually acted anyway.

Imagine his surprise when a few turned for a moment, only to keep pursuing whatever they were tracking. Now that he was a bit closer, he could smell it too. It was familiar, lemony and icy and sharp… but there was something about it that seemed to pull at him.

Making the blood in his veins a bit hotter than usual.

The whites of his eyes turning a dark blue as his own yokai stirred under tanned skin, howling and writhing. He blinked and pushed the thing down, confused by the reaction in these feral yokai and in himself.

What was going on? They didn't normally react like this except to Daoyokai pup flesh, or the scent of a demon in oncoming heat. He'd smelled it often enough in the females of his pack to know that smell.

This wasn't heat-smell, not yet anyway. But- close? Possible? A smell that indicated it was a possibility, anyhow. Like a promise in the wind.

A most interesting smell. He would find it, he decided.

It definitely wasn't a wolf though, but it was something close.

As he twisted among the trees, using them as leverage to laugh himself through one skull after another, he pondered. The interest getting the better of him as he slowly mowed them down with the painful accuracy of an arrow through the chest.

One by one they fell. So distracted by the smell that they didn't run, didn't turn. Only gave soft noises of surprise and shock when Koga's feet, hard as hooves, found their way through necks and shoulders and legs. Nevertheless, he got a few good slashes. One on his thigh was particularly deep, causing the muscles to shudder.

They were close to the bottom of the mountain. A huge waterfall cascaded down here, ending at a pool about thirty feet wide and four feet deep. Its cold mist filled the air, and coated the ferns and moss that grew around it in file, beautiful dew.

In the middle of the waterfall was a rock that parted the water just slightly.

Koga's blade found its way through the last of the giant's heads. Its hands reaching up and grasping at the place where its head used to be as it staggered and finally fell. Its wretched, stinking blood pouring and killing the grass as it slowly melted. The wolf bouncing away and wrinkling his nose in disgust.

Freezing when he caught that smell again.

Sesshomaru.

_This is his smell? Something's not right. _

The Foo-Dog was at the edge of the water, hand still pressed tight to his wound. A beautiful blue stain on his otherwise immaculate white-and-red ensemble.

He was as silent as ever. But Koga couldn't help but look at him; he'd only seen the demon lord one other time, and that had been when he was very small.

But he had to admit the other was quite a looker. Even when horribly injured.

His fur and hair was like starlight; smooth and rippling, reflecting only brilliant silver and soft blue. He had curiously thick lashes for a male; lashes that only accented the maroon double-stripes on his cheeks and the crescent moon on his forehead. Yet, the wideness of his shoulders and the lowness of his voice when he caught the wolf looking, and growled, was definitely male.

It was quite the warning. Koga felt the rocks skittering near his feet, felt the power of the yokai near him and the uncomfortable pressure of Sesshomaru's demonic aura crushing him. Trying to force him away.

_Stay away. _The marks on his cheeks, the pure whiteness of his fur, said. _I'm dangerous. _

And yet, Koga noticed he didn't draw that acid whip. Or his horrible swords. In fact… it seemed to take all Sesshomaru had just to keep himself standing.

Koga growled softly in response, to show he'd heard. Not in a challenging way but more of a;

_Hey. I'm not doing anything wrong. _

Kind of way. His eyes going back to those markings.

The marks of those meant to rule their yokai brothers and sisters. No wolf had been born with those markings in decades. And even if they had, they were not a part of the twelve zodiac rulers. The setup for their society was fairly simple; twelve main houses. Four main rulers, and each charged to protect two yokai species other than their own.

Each of the main rulers were Daiyokai; with those beautiful markings, and coats of pure white or pure black.

So much stronger than the average yokai.

For example; Lord Sesshomaru was the great Demon Dog of the West. His and his mother's charges were to protect the pig and sheep yokai that lived inside and around the Foo-Dog Palace.

"I could help you." Koga offered in barely a whisper. He always kept medicine on him; for he always expected to get into scraps. So far he'd been correct in that assumption.

Sesshomaru glared at the wolf yokai incredulously. Half-wanted to kill him but also stunned. Swallowing down vomit that was mostly blood he hissed, " I would rather perish." And gave one last yearning look at the mountains,

_I will not make it. This will have to do._

Snarling under his breath, he slipped inside the waterfall.

At least, that's what it looked like at first.

Now that Koga looked at it more carefully, there was the tiniest entrance underneath that rock. About four or five inches, where one part of the water overlapped the other slightly.

He tilted his head, his tail wagging a bit. What a cool little place! And he'd never even known about it all this time. At the very edge of his territory.

Too bad Sesshomaru had claimed it first; it was certainly a cool hideout. He could hear the Foo-Dog inside panting with pain. And Koga jumped about three feet in the air in surprise when he heard a crack of bone. Louder even, than the rush of the water pounding all around him.

There was another low whimper from the Lord of the West.

_What on earth?_ Koga tried to sneak closer to the entrance, only to be met with another growl. This one much more powerful.

This one promised pain. He jumped about ten feet backwards.

"All right, all right. Damn. Well. Guess you're here to stay. But don't expect me to go hunting for you. What the hell is happening to you, anyway? Your smell is what attracted all those damn yokai into my territory."

Koga huffed, laying down at the edge of the pool and crossing his arms behind his head. His tail flicking thoughtfully on the ground, moving the dirt.

He was met with silence.

"Not exactly talkative are ya? Well whatever. I'll figure it out soon enough. Whatever it is, ya can't hide it forever. But at least this is a pretty good spot. Your smell is already fading." He noted. The mist was already hiding that interesting smell; in a few hours, it'd probably be disbursed to the point where most yokai wouldn't be able to pinpoint it to Sesshomaru's exact location.

Koga sniffed again curiously, felt his yokai react again.

So strange.

"You're starting to smell like a woman." He mused, then yelped, dodging a very green, very dangerous whip as he scrambled to his feet and hopped away.

Rubbing his ankle; Sesshomaru'd managed to nick him. It stung like hell.

"Get out of here before I kill you." Sesshomaru whispered. And this time Koga could tell that he meant it. So, he left.

Relieved as he headed back that no other yokai seemed to have invaded his territory after Sesshomaru. There were a few wandering around, confused and dazed, but he managed to chase them off.

By the time he returned to the den, he was greeted by everyone. They were nervous; he usually wasn't gone for this long. He was greeted in the usual way; gentle nuzzles to his cheeks and shoulders, and shoulder pats and tail-flicks.

"Koga! Glad you're back."  
"We were worried, man! You took care of all of them though. Damn! I wonder what the hell they were tracking!"

Wolves were generally a touchy breed- it was normal to have about twenty or thirty different smells on him from his pack members at a time.

A few of the yearling pups came up to him as well, and he leaned down, ruffling their fur with a smirk.

"Hello kiddos. I'm back." He picked up a red one, about three years old, smiling a little at the mother as he scratched her ears. Walking deeper into the caves. Eager for a long rest as his ankle still stung from Sesshomaru's acid. And his thigh still ached from that scratch.

The red pup fell asleep against his shoulder almost instantly. Still in her wolf form; most wolf pups could go back and forth after the first year.

He smiled in a bittersweet way and licked her pointed ear with a rough tongue.

His own pups would be about this age by now, if any of them had lived.

If Ayame had lived.

"She's beautiful. You'll have to keep her far away from the men when she comes of age." He teased to Yuki as he handed her her daughter, who blushed. " Thank you, Prince Koga."

Ginta and Hakakku hugged him tightly, " We missed you, Koga!" and he stood still for a minute before pushing them off as they blubbered. "All right, that's enough. I'm fine okay ! Sheesh. I wouldn't'a gone after em if I didn't know I could win. What do ya think I did all that training for?"

The caves were actually more intricate than most yokai realized. There were three main entrances; underground, a vast network of caves. Many leading to dead ends or shafts that led into underground caves. Meant to keep strangers from invading.

So far, it had worked.

Anytime they'd been attached, they'd just lured their attackers deeper and deeper into the caves. And none of them had survived the journey.

For the save caves were one of the first things that the pups learned after birth.

Koga had three other main cave networks, just like this, that the tribe moved to seasonally to keep up with game.

There was storage for food, rooms for the yokai, feasting rooms, meeting rooms, medicine rooms, restrooms… Everything a yokai could ever ask for. Lit by oil lamps about every five to ten feet depending on the length of the cave.

Soon enough they came to another fork in the caves. The two wolves gave Koga another hug before going off to the right with a soft, " Bye Koga! Night! See ya tomorrow!"

While the prince banked off to the left. Moving the second door he came to and them closing it behind him. It was one of the few rooms that actually had a door- most, just had curtains. But he'd found that he liked the quiet sometimes.

He also liked the privacy of not being teased after a mating session with Ayame.

She had been more of a screamer than he'd realized.

He stretched and sighed, lighting the lamp near the door. Orange light illuminating his room. There was a bed; a table and chairs for meetings. A second, couch-like bed for Ginka and Hakakku whenever they got drunk and couldn't be trusted to navigate the caves safely. A second, much smaller room for all of his medicines and poultices. He'd gotten pretty good at them, and now was trusted as the second-in-line healer in the pack whenever things went wrong.

He slipped off his leg protectors, and the bandaging that kept his feet from getting too scratched up. Hanging up his armor and sword on the wall and pulling the tie from his ponytail in order to attempt to brush it.

Grabbing an old comb off of the built- in shelving( which was really just some very creative claywork among the roots that laced through part of his den). It was a pretty thing he'd stolen some time ago; tortoiseshell maybe? He wasn't sure, but it did the job better than his claws.

Thinking mildly of Sessshomaru's hair as he did so. How the hell did he keep his hair so nice all the time? He must groom it constantly. Koga's hair wasn't even half as long, yet got matted and tangled every single day.

He wondered vaguely if Sesshomaru had ever mated. Or taken a mate for more than a one-night stand. It didn't seem possible. He was too far away, too cold.

What was happening to that dog demon anyway? His nose was never wrong. And it was something painful, and bloody.

And utterly unique.

He'd decided not to tell them. The other members in his pack didn't have as good of a nose as he did, so they probably wouldn't find him. Anyway, he felt… strangely protective of the whole situation. He was the one who'd found Sesshomaru after all.

Whatever was happening to him, Koga wanted to be the first to know.

Koga curled up under an enormous, soft bear pelt. One of the many gifts he'd gotten Ayame when he courted her. And as much as he hated to admit it… He was glad he'd run into the demon lord.

It was the first interesting thing that had happened to him in some time.

He blew out the lamp, thinking in the darkness as he pulled the pelt over his shoulder.

Koga could have any female in the pack that he wanted. Hell, he could probably get away with more than one but for some reason, he just hadn't been interested. It wasn't like they were bad candidates. Many were beautiful, and quite smart; good cooks, good with tools, good hunters. Any of them would be a good mate for him, and he was starting to get some pressure from the elders to bloody well find someone and settle down.

But…

Koga closed his eyes tighter and gritted his teeth just a bit. He didn't want to go through the same thing he had with Ayame again. He didn't know if he could take another few years like that.

Years and years of terrible, bloody miscarriages that ripped them both apart. He just didn't understand it. They were both perfectly healthy. And yet there seemed to be something in his blood that didn't agree with her.

Something wrong in him that tore her apart from the inside out.

It had been after the last one that she'd contracted pneumonia. And despite the effort of him and every other healer she'd passed three years ago.

He should have been over it by now. But he wasn't.

Koga fell into an uneasy sleep and rose as the sun did. Starting a border patrol at dawn and a hunt afterwords; bringing three of his fastest with him. He didn't know why, but he wanted to hurry through his morning tasks so he could have some time to himself in the afternoon.

By breakfast time, the three wolf demons brought back as many demon boars and deer as they could carry for his hungry pack. Koga carrying one over each shoulder; laughing as the littler ones tried to jump up and rip off pieces.

"Hey, Hey! Let 'em cook first. I promise you'll all be fed, okay?"He said as he handed them off to a few females, who started cutting them apart expertly. Arms and legs- them, cutting them down the middle to drain their blood and helping to hoist them into a nearby tree.

"Thanks. You know we'd fall apart without ya."He muttered as he passed, letting his fingers brush slightly along all three of their shoulders as he walked past. The three females smiled back, " Damn right, Prince." Their tails wagging slightly at the praise.

"Oi. I'm goin' out for a bit. I'll be back before dinner." He called to the other wolves, who gave a few nods and waves to show that they'd heard.

He'd been better about recognizing their roles, thanks to Ayame. There was really no more 'women's work' and men's work now. There was simply work. And whatever you were better at, you did.

He left in a whirl of wind. When the shards had first been taken, he'd been so incredibly painfully slow. But now, he was actually as fast as he'd been before the shards, if not more so. Not that it had been easy.

As he left, he snagged a deer leg. It was still hot; its dark blue demon fur stained with blood.

He knew the only thing Daiyokai ate was other yokai; and, their blood. So, why not bring Sesshomaru a snack? Maybe it'd make him slightly less likely to kill him.

Maybe it curb his foul temper a bit.

Doubtful. But it was worth a shot.

His tail wagged a little at the thought. Why did he care? He didn't know. But it was something that kept him occupied, something that stopped him thinking about everything he'd lost. And so he was grateful.

Sesshomaru was an excellent distraction.

When he arrived, he knew Sesshomaru could sense him as another hostile growl ripped out of the waterfall. Shaking the ground a bit, and sending little shockwaves up Koga's feet. His tail tucking between his legs for a minute before he found his courage.

"Yeah yeah. Got it. I'm not coming in, all right? I just brought you some food. Prolly gonna leave you some medicine too, though you probably don't need it. You Daiyokai heal hella fast."

He saw a single, yellow eye in that crack between the water for a minute, and his breath caught in his throat. It was glittering like acid. Like fire. Framed in white, and those beautiful maroon stripes on his cheek.

"Go **_away_**, wolf filth."

Sesshomaru was angry. Furious even. He felt the press of his demonic aura and it felt like he couldn't breath for a moment. Though… he had a feeling it wasn't just at Koga, but at whatever was happening. His scent was still strange, and he smelled like he was in quite some pain.

He could just barely smell the scent of sweat and blood. Some fresh, and some old.

"Hey. I'm heading out. Promise." Koga held up his arms, showing he meant no harm, and was met with a hissing growl.

He knew he was playing a dangerous game. Yet… He knew Sesshomaru was too hurt to harm him. At least, right now.

Because if he could, he would have killed Koga already. At least, that's the way he saw it. That eye soon moved away from the gap, much to Koga's dismay.

He left the food and medicine there.

The next day, he found it both items destroyed, and rolled his eyes.

For being a demon lord, Sesshomaru could act very much like a pup throwing a tantrum sometimes.

Over the next few days, the Foo-Dog was curiously silent. Sleeping usually when Koga approached and not waking if he was very quiet which was odd. Usually, Sesshomaru could detect him from miles away; it was part of the reason he'd never run into him.

Now though, he seemed too hurt to bother. Or perhaps he just didn't see Koga as much of a threat. Either way.

He noted that after a few more repeats of the initial reaction to food, the demon lord soon started taking the gifts. At first he thought that Sesshomaru was just flinging them into the forest, but he never seemed to be able to find them. Not even bones.

It was fascinating. He was a fascinating, dangerous creature and Koga was utterly perplexed by his actions.

And intrigued. Finally, something to hold on to. And that smell from before? It was still there, Changing a bit more everyday. Koga often found himself resting at the rim of that water on his back, looking up at the clouds and daydreaming. Seeing how long Sesshomaru would tolerate his presence before getting that acid whip out again.

He had several marks on his feet and thighs now, but he was getting faster.

Koga felt strangely at peace when he was playing with fire. Sesshomaru's smell was faintly comforting as well as alluring. It made his yokai want to bubble to the surface and sometimes, made his blood run south which was strange as well.

Whenever the occasional yokai found Sesshomaru's scent, he immediately attacked them. Tracking them and stopping them well before they got anywhere near the waterfall.

Even a few male wolf yokai had come sniffing, and he'd had to gently redirect them. It was strange. And when he fought, sometimes he could see he glint of a yellow eye as Sesshomaru watched.

It wasn't just dumb yokai that came, unfortunately. Smart ones came too- ones that were bigger, stronger than Koga by quite some measure. A dragon yokai in his human form. A bear yokai.

But unfortunately for them they were not fast. And they were not smart.

And Koga was actually quite the fighter. Using his speed and his environment rather than brute strength against his enemy. Cornered one too many times to run away and for some weird reason.. he didn't want to. Especially when Sesshomaru was watching, or even when he wasn't.

Maybe he was showing off a bit, though he didn't know why.

It was dark now.

There were always more in the dark. In fact, Koga had taken to sleeping near the pool from midnight to about four am, when they seemed to appear from nowhere. Sesshomaru's whip kept them at bay when he wasn't around, but… lately he'd noted that Sesshomaru didn't seem to be fighting off the stronger ones.

As if he wanted them to come inside.

As if he wanted to be found.

It was bizarre behavior.

Koga sighed, sitting with a pained grunt at the edge of the pool and dipping his sword in the clear water to clean it. He had scratch and bites marks all over him, as well as a slash on his forearm from the sword of the bear yokai that had been the most recent visitor.

Koga muttered, " You know, you're lucky I'm here saving you against all these damn yokai, Sesshomaru. Even though there's hardly any particles around, they still seem to be tracking you. And you're not exactly driving them away, either-"

He paused when he heard an odd sound from the Foo-Dog. Something he'd only ever heard from Ayame, and only during very certain times.

It was like… a very gentle low growl. The wolf and dog equivalent of a cat purr. It sent shivers all up his tanned skin, and his blood was suddenly heavy in his veins. He froze. Glancing up.

There was that same eye from before. But this time, the whites of Sesshomaru's eyes were blood-red, while the iris's were filled with a dark blue.

It was Sesshomaru's yokai at the wheel now; Sesshomaru's demon controlling his mind and body.

.

That smell. Her eyelashes seemed thicker than before, the curve of her jaw gentler. Thinner eyebrows. And the general frame of her seemed smaller too. And all the sudden, he understood the smell.

Sesshomaru had transformed into a female.

A female halfway through a very light heat.

That was why.

Koga staggered backwards. Sheathing his sword in shock and forcing his yokai back down with some effort. Damn. Well, that explained a lot. Why she hadn't been fighting them off.

She hadn't wanted to. That was no longer the goal.

Koga's mind was racing. How the hell was this possible? He didn't know Daiyokai could just.. like, do that? And moreover, why the hell was she in a heat? That was usually a wolf thing, unless.

Well. He paused, thinking it over. Hadn't he been told of some pretty weird reactions in Daiyokai if they hadn't taken anyone to bed? He wouldn't put it past Sesshomaru, the ice king, to 'forget' to take a mate. He didn't seem like the mating type. Or even the touching type. It was hard to imagine him being intimate with anyone.

Maybe his yokai had taken matters into her own hands.

Koga sighed. Well. He couldn't very well let Sesshomaru get taken by some damn wayward yokai. He didn't really know him, but he didn't think anyone of his rank deserved that.

Even if he had been whipped a few times.

Now, he understood the fear he'd seen in Sesshomaru's eyes. He knew why Koga wanted to be near, even if the wolf didn't.

He heard her move and closed his eyes, " Uh-uh! You stay away, vile temptress!" drawing his sword and pointing it at her as he felt her come closer. Closing his eyes and waiting for the whip, or worse. Not even looking at her for fear of his yokai taking over.

Koga couldn't let that happen. Because if he did, his yokai would probably lose.

And everyone knew that if you weren't a worthy mate for a Daiyokai, you were eaten.

He preferred life.

He felt something hot and wet draw its way up his leg. Over the claw marks that had ripped through him earlier. In his surprise he forgot to close his eyes.

Watching as Sesshomaru's tongue drew along his dirtied, bloody claw marks. Fascinated as the skin was instantly repaired. Healthy, clean scabs replacing the raggedly torn skin and the mess of blood and dirt underneath.

"You have a surprising amount of restraint. For a filthy wolf cur." Said the not-Sesshomaru, and he felt her nose near his neck as she sniffed his skin. His heart was racing a million miles an hour and he was terrified.

Would she rip out his throat?

Something about his smell seemed to please her, though. He felt a little warm huff of approval from her.

" Perhaps you'll do."

Golden eyes looking over at the glint of sun that was rising over the mountains with disapproval.

This wolf was going to have to wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow evening was the correct time for this wolf to become hers, or dinner. Either one. Not tonight.

She was gone in an instant, back inside the cave. Leaving a baffled and slightly aroused wolf outside in the dirt. Terrified.

He was back far too late to the wolf tribe. The other were growing worried; they did not understand where he had been, and so late. Covered in scratches and bites.

But he'd been careless and stupid, and had forgotten to bathe before returning.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Koga!"

Ginka said sleepily, hugging his wolf brother. " Oh, man. Where are you? You've been gone more and more often, we-"

He paused, smelling Koga's leg with interest.

"Hey. Hey! Get off." Koga said, grumpily. Nudging the other wolf away. Dark circles under his eyes as he tried to process everything. No wonder he was so interested in her.

Maybe it'd be best if he just stayed the hell away, let some other weak yokai claim her.

But… his stomach knotted slightly. It'd only be a few more days. A few more days, and Sesshomaru'd be back to his old horrible self.

Problem was… he wasn't sure if he could trust himself around her now that he'd figured it out.

" Well, no wonder!" Ginka said, laughing softly, his tail wagging, " You found a girl! No wonder you've been gone all the time!"

Koga clamped a hand over Ginka's mouth. "Shush! Wouldja! Doesn't anyone around here know how to keep a secret?" Ginka muttered something unintelligible behind Koga's hand before giving it a lick. Koga let go, wiping his hand on his pelt in disgust.

" I ain't seein' nobody. I'm just protecting a female until her heat is over. That's all." Ginka raised a brow, crossing his arms in disbelief.

"Uh huh."

"That's all! Okay!" Koga snarled, his own tail bristling a little. " Nothing happened!"

The other wolf said softly, " Can I at least tell Hakakku? And a few of the runners? They're all really worried about you, Koga. If you die, well. It's not exactly like we've got a lot of other good options."

Koga's tail went down a bit, and he sighed. Ginka was probably right… they needed to know. They'd feel better about his weird hours, and he'd be able to stop coming up with stupid excuses all the time.

" Fine. But… remember, nothing's gonna happen. All right?" He muttered, heading back to bed. He sighed when he returned. It was so cool, so quiet.

He missed her. And he missed coming home to someone.

He debated going, he really did.

He knew the smart thing to do would be to avoid her. Sesshomaru was dangerous. His yokai was even more dangerous. If he didn't watch himself, he'd end up mating her. And then what? Sesshomaru would probably kill him, and the pups. And he preferred not to be dead. As Ginka had said, his pack didn't have a whole lot of other options as leaders. There were the elders of course, but…

The needed him. He had an obligation to his pack. He needed to stop going.

And yet.

There was such an awful hunger in him now.

He couldn't sleep. Koga was too hot, too cold. And unable to get her stupid eyes and voice out of his head.

The wolf needed to know she was okay.

The thought of her taking another yokai to bed making him sick to his stomach.

He knew it made him no better than those wretched non-sentient yokai, and that made him feel worse. If he'd known this was Sesshomaru's ailment he would have stayed the hell away.

He had an obligation to finish what he'd started. To protect her until everything was back to normal. But he also had an obligation not to get murdered.

Was getting laid worth being murdered? His body seemed to think so, and that was frustrating.

He managed to stay away from her for about a day.

But he could not resist her.

Around four in the morning, he ran, silently through the forest.

Surprised when he found her outside the cave for the first time. In her full Foo-Dog form.

And she was terrifying. Bigger than the trees, bigger than the waterfall. Huge red eyes with little electric blue irises. So many backward-hooked teeth. Claws as big as his arm and a huge, snakelike tongue.

Corrosive drool, faintly green, that hissed as if dripped from her mouth.

She'd killed three male yokai, and was currently in the middle of devouring the fourth one. She looked up when he approached.

Throwing her head back and swallowing the rest of the yokai before he heard a soft voice in his head. Her voice.

_Fight me. _

He barely had time to react. She was upon him, closing the space between them at alarming speed. He took his own wolf form, faster than he ever had before. He was a handsome yokai in his own right, but small.

Far smaller than Sesshomaru. His shoulder barely at her belly. Looking like a yearling or perhaps even a pup.

He slipped between her legs as her jaws went for his neck. Eager to crush. Eager to eat. Clearly, the food he'd brought hadn't been enough to sate her.

She snarled in unpleasant surprise as he went to the other end of the clearing, panting and tensing. She came for him again, this time with her claws.

He yelped and slipped away; getting nicked by her top two claws. As he jumped by her, his teeth scraped along her side. A long line of red from her shoulder to her hip as his canine ripped.

And she gave a surprised bark of pain this time. Jumping away from him and licking the wound before coming at him again with increased vigor.

They crushed trees, cracked rocks. Their claws tearing up grass and bushes and turning the area into a dirty, smoking mess. Sesshomaru's saliva melting the trees and rocks wherever it landed.

He didn't know how long they fought. Only that his legs were shaking from tiredness and that he was beginning to get dizzy. Well, that, and Sesshomaru hadn't landed a full blow on him once.

If she had, he'd be dead, and he knew that. She didn't fight in this form often, and that was also working to his advantage.

Brute strength was her main method in this form. She'd never needed anything else.

But he had an idea. A crazy one. But it might work.

He scooted back, inching his back legs up onto one of the trees and setting his front legs straight. Feeling it bend slightly as she came for him again, all huge teeth and gaping pink maw.

He launched himself at her; the extra bounce from the tree managing to knock her onto her back. He stood above her, his tail wagging in delight. It had worked.

_Pinned ya. _

His expression said. His pink tongue lolling out from his mouth and his tail wagging furiously. She shoved him off, somehow angrier than before. He scrambled up the rocks, just slow enough to keep her right on his ass. Snapping her teeth as she lunged at him.

He waited. Framing things just right and watching her every step carefully. And when she put her paw on the moss that was just a bit too close to the waterfall, he jumped. Hitting that one shoulder with all of his weight and wincing when she bit his back leg.

It had to work. It had to.

She slipped on the wet moss.

And he fell on top of her in the water. Managing to roll her onto her back once more and pin her down once again. His expression triumphant. Hers, shocked.

_Pinned ya again!_

He barked once, happily. It was a game, and he was winning ! And that was what mattered. Pausing when he saw a sudden shift in those eyes. She was the one to grab him this time, but gently. Her teeth wrapping around his throat as she moved him outside of the pool by the scruff of his neck.

Transforming back into her human form with a rush of purple wind and a flexing of her demonic aura. Koga did the same, wincing and almost crying out. His leg! Fuck. He was bleeding pretty good from all her bites and scratches, worse than any other yokai he'd fought so far.

For the first time, he was a little worried. It was a lot of blood this time.

He winced when she came closer, holding up his arms defensively. "Look, I won. You can't kill me, its against the rules!" He called out, nervously.

"Oh, you're absolutely correct." He heard her cool voice. Soothing him. Licking that wound in his leg. It itched as it sealed. Her icy claws gently on his arm, bringing it down and setting it gently to his side. He scooted back a bit, watching her warily, but it didn't help.

She closed the gap between them and, so gently, cupped his head. Her claws snaking into his black hair, seeming to support his neck and the column of his spine. He got even more nervous and she murmured, " Shh, shh. It's all right. This will probably hurt, little wolf."

And before he even knew what was happening, her teeth were in his neck.

"Ow! What the-" He went to grab her, tear her off. And abruptly stopped. Fire.

She was setting him on fire from the inside out. At least, that's what it felt like. His hand clenched in midair, the claws digging into the flesh of his palm. His legs kicking as if trying to run away from the pain. She set his head in her lap, holding him relatively still as he arched and screamed.

"You- you marked me…-" He couldn't even speak. His shaking hands going to his head. Feeling wave after wave consume him, and seeing only flashes of white and red.

"I did. You're mine now, Koga." She said gently.

All of the sudden, there was a crack from his spine.

His tail starting to lengthen as if it was being dragged from his form by the Gods themselves. The color changing from brown to a fierce, midnight black as dark as his hair. He would have cried out again if he'd been able, but that first one had ripped his throat.

His hands kneaded her, desperate for some kind of relief.

Sesshomaru watched with muted interest. The tail seeming to please her.

Other things were happening. Bruises appeared on his cheeks, taking form. Becoming two, beautiful dark blue stripes. One per cheek.

Others appeared on his wrists, his ankles, his ribs. His hips. All that same beautiful dark blue. The teeth in his mouth became sharper, larger. And about a thousand times stronger. Changing with the pulse of his heartbeat. Even his claws were changed; suddenly becoming clearer and glassier, and a tad longer too. More hooked.

Similar to Sesshomaru's.

A blue crescent moon appeared on his chest; low, just under the place where his two collarbones joined. Sesshomaru had marked him as a mate. Now, he could take no other; the pain would be too great.

He had no other option than Sesshomaru.

It was a sacred mark. A marked shared from one yokai to another. Reserved mostly for mates, lovers. Bonding them not only physically but also spiritually.

A mark that could not be removed.

Even now, he was vaguely aware of Sesshomaru's consciousness. Her pain; her interest and happiness in his transformation. Her thrill in finding such a wonderful mate; one that protected her from others, even when he didn't know about her heat.

Even when there was no obvious prize for him.

The final change was in his own aura; usually fleeting it was suddenly stronger. She felt the change, and there was a tiny pleased smile on her face. So, there was some worthy blood in the wolves after all.

When it was over, he wanted to pass out. Begged to. But for some reason he was still awake. And could feel her claws gently in his hair, combing it back.

He looked at his own wrist in disbelief. Tracing the mark gently with his claw. Even that tiny movement exhausting.

"What a beautiful Daiyokai you are, wolf." She whispered, and he felt her nuzzle his temple. That same low purr in her throat as she picked him up. Carrying him with his torso leaning against hers and his legs thrown over one of her arms.

" I'm not, I'm not…" He whispered in quiet wonder and fear.

"You are. I thought you were. I smelled it in you." She said, her voice a sweet, chilly drink of water on a hot afternoon. He didn't want it to be soothing but it was.

He looked back at the clearing. All ripped up, dirt and twisted trees. And realized with a kind of far-off alarm that she was not carrying him back to the wolf tribe. But back into her cave.

"Wait." He whispered, an arm reaching out. Wincing and drawing it back with pain. Even his bones hurt.

" It's all right. I'm going to take care of you. My beautiful, smart wolf." She assured him. And he passed out in her arms as she made her way into the cave.

She let him sleep as long as she could, but the urges were nagging at her. They needed to get to it before her heat was over. And she wasn't going to let this opportunity go.

Koga was woken from an uneasy sleep by very gentle, very soft kisses.

He smiled just a little, tail flicking contentedly. Ayame? She woke him up like that, sometimes. The taste was a little different than he remembered though.

Koga opened his eyes. His soft expression turning to alarm when he saw Sesshomaru's vast, red and blue eyes. Like a broken sunrise.

She was so beautiful, and her smell was all around. Choking him. Her face and markings so striking in the low moonlight. The way her hair curled into her collarbones and over her tiny shoulders and between those small, cute breasts.

"Wait-wait-" He said, sitting up, his heart racing once more. Sesshomaru wouldn't want this! He had to get out of here! He felt her hand gently on his cheek and trembled. Weird. She was actually warm.

He didn't like how tender she was being. "You gotta let me go. Please. I don't wanna hurt you." He murmured, giving a desperate glance at the gap between that wall of water. She smiled, and moved slightly. And he flushed when he felt the weight of her hips right up against his. And was embarrassed to feel that rush of blood that he couldn't exactly hide at the moment.

" You're not going to hurt me." She whispered, leaning down. He laid flat to try and get away, jumping nearly out of his skin when he felt her mouth on the mark. Flushing when he felt a weird jolt and his yokai jump in his skin.

"Wait-"

"No." She said, simply. And bit down gently on the mark. And the whites of Koga's eyes filled with blue.

But he'd be lying if he said he didn't remember anything.

He remembered the beauty of her. How the moonlight shone on that lily white skin and those pretty maroon stripes. Remembered tracing them with his claws.

Remembered her taste in his mouth and the way she scratched all the way down his back.

Remembered the pulsing warmth of her around him.

Remembered her expression when his warmth spread through her, filling her from the inside out. It seemed to be more than usual; and so powerful he felt totally drained afterwards. His arms bent as he cupped her skull, and her legs delicately over his back and new tail.

When he was himself, the deed was done. And he'd be lying if he said he never wanted it to happen again.

"Damn you." He whispered angrily, and she smiled, leaning up to kiss him. His anger slowly fading as he began to kiss back. Feeling her wrists so gently wrapped around the back of his neck. Her silver hair spread on the pelts below them like a spilled jug of mercury while his hung in that damp ponytail. The bangs tickling her forehead and that blue crescent mark.

They could not have been more different; him, a black mirror to reflect her beautiful light. Dark, tanned skin to her snow. A wolf and a dog. But…

As angry as he was, how scared, he was also strangely elated.

He pressed their foreheads together, giving a long sigh. She was still purring faintly, and it was contagious.

"When Sesshomaru kills me, it'll be your fault." He muttered, and she smirked, " That's not going to happen. Promise."

"Uh huh. Sure." He huffed, raising a brow. She hummed, " You can't kill your marked one. Your yokai prevents it. I chose you, and I won't let that happen." She traced the mark on his chest with her claw gently.

He shivered at her touch. It had been a long time. Also he was quite a bit fuzzier than her, so her touches seemed to reach farther.

After a moment, he went in for another kiss.

She tasted so wonderful. Lemony but also very faintly sweet. He started marking her with his smell- gently rubbing his cheek along hers, the line of her jaw. Placing more kisses on her and even a playful nip on her neck. Blinking when he saw quite a few bruises blossoming on her skin.

"Oops. Sorry."

She was taller than him, even in this form. So reaching her neck was pretty easy. She shook her head, " Do not apologize. I wanted them." He relaxed just a little. Shifting his hips to gently pull out of her before wiping her clean and pulling her to his chest.

"What are you even doing. Are you crazy. You should've just mated some other Foo-Dog." He muttered in her ear. She tucked her head under his chin and curled her arms up to his chest.

" No. Our line is weak without the Inu No Taisho. We needed to go back to the source of all dogs." She murmured back, playing with a strand of his black hair and curling it around her finger. He looked down at her in surprise, fighting off sleep.

The source of all dogs.

So. Getting stuck in his territory had not been an accident.

" You're horribly manipulative, you know that?" He whispered, rubbing an eye. She just scooted closer to him and murmured, " Get some sleep, wolf. I'm nowhere near done with you."

And unfoutunately, she wasn't. When he tried to remember the next few days, he only remembered the times he'd come up for air. Going out of the cave to hunt for them or take a piss. Other than that, he was pretty sure they spent the next two days going at it like rabbits.

He tried to stop it, but his attempts were futile. And some terrible part of him knew that he didn't want to stop. He wanted Sesshomaru as a mate. He was strong and powerful, the Lord of the Western lands. But honestly? He didn't really care about the money and land.

No…

What fascinated him the most was the idea of Sesshomaru as his mate. Curling up together. Hunting together. Perhaps someday, seeing the ice king carrying his pup around. Was it even possible? He could barely picture it, but he still wanted to see it.

A stupid fantasy, but one nevertheless that he was attached to. He wanted to find the yokai beneath the ice. Surely, there was someone still down there in those icy depths.

That last day, she was unusually quiet. Not going after him like usual, just contentedly bundled in the furs close by the fire. Occasionally, he saw flickers of Sesshomaru's eyes- that catlike yellow. And it thrilled and terrified him.

She was looking out that little slit into the night. Meanwhile, Koga was looking forward to catching up on some much- needed sleep.

"You've been quiet today."

"It's the last day of my heat. It's ended early." She said softly, a very small smile on her face. He stretched a bit, not missing the pinch of his armor around his shoulders. " Mm. So I'll be murdered tomorrow. Good to know."

The Foo-Dog sent him an amused glance. " No. You're just going to be busy convincing her to stay." Her arm crossing over her abdomen before saying very quietly, " You'll have to take care of us, Koga. I'm your dame now." Wrapping her long, fluffy tail over her feet in quiet contentment.

He paused mid-stretch. His arms and legs curling back as he whispered, " You're… " trailing off in shock and surprise. He knew yokai could detect it early, though. Far earlier than they could.

Dame was a slang term in candid culture for a high-ranking female, a wife, or the mother of someone's pups, depending on context.

But he was pretty sure he knew the context of that sentence.

He scooted closer, hesitating for a moment before looking up at her for permission. When she nodded, he moved a part of the pelt, sniffing lightly along her abdomen.

There was something different. Faintly breadlike, the smell of fresh milk. He'd smelled it before with Ayame. But hers had always had the tainted smell of blood… like something was wrong.

He didn't smell that now.

"Is-is it okay? Are you gonna be able to carry it to term?" He whispered, touching the skin lightly with his claws. The tremor in his voice clear. She tilted her head a bit at his anxiety and assured him, " We're both strong Daiyokai. You're a strong sire. I smell no defects. The pup will be fine."

She saw his reaction and murmured, " You had a mate before who- was not carrying properly." It wasn't really even a question, and he flinched a bit.

"It is because of the Daiyokai blood in you. The potential. Some yokai cannot carry a Daiyokai child; it's difficult for them. But I am one, so there will be little issue."

His eyes widened. No wonder… no wonder. Poor Ayame. If he'd been a regular wolf everything would have been fine.  
_Then again, I'd be dead. _He thought sarcastically, There was no way Sesshomaru would have taken him as a mate if she hadn't smelled that potential in his blood. She would have killed him without a thought.

Koga wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling his cheek very gently against her abdomen. His claws tight in the pelt and nearly poking through the thick leather. She petted his dark hair and purred slightly as he whispered, "Fuck…" under his breath. A tear streaking down before he wiped it away hastily.

"I'll take care of all of you. I promise. I promise." He whispered, hugging her a bit tighter. She sighed and said softly, " You will have to protect them against their mother." And he looked up, not understanding.

"Sesshomaru will try to drink the poison. You cannot let her return to the Foo-Dog Palace, not for that first month. Call upon the right of the marked one, or even the right of the sire if you have to. She cannot ignore the laws of our kind. But she will do everything she can to forget this ever happened. She is…" Her yokai paused before admitting, "Damaged. You will need to be patient. And teach her how to love."

Koga's expression hardened. Yes, he would protect them against everything. Even their own mother. He could not let a perfectly healthy pup meet the same fate his others had.

" I promise. The pup won't be harmed." He whispered. His blue eyes as hard as the drifting glaciers, as cold as an artic sea.

He would not let Sesshomaru hurt their baby.

Sesshomaru's yokai purred, "Good." And rubbed his shoulders gently until he relaxed. They fell asleep in each other's arms.

And the next morning, Sesshomaru woke in the arms of a black wolf.

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Hello to everyone !

This is just a random pairing that popped into my head. Please drop me a review if you like it to let me know if I should keep going with the story! Thanks !


	2. Chapter 2

Sesshomaru's yokai at least had given her the courtesy of her clothes.

But that didn't do much to abate her shock at waking up in the arms of a wolf. She stayed very still, her mind racing and her heard starting to pound.

_How?_

Her nose told her exactly what had transpired between them.

Sex, and quite a bit of it. Smelled like they'd both been here for a few days. She half-opened an eye, her gaze flicking over him. Assessing. Odd. She could see Daiyokai stripes on this wolf's cheeks.

She was not aware any of the wolf tribes had sired a Daiyokai. Perhaps they'd been keeping him secret? He smelled strong and healthy. Black hair. Deep caramel skin. And his arm was heavy and well-muscled, and warm on her shoulder. It was Koga- she recognized the smell. But… since when was he a …?

Perhaps to someone else, he would be considered handsome.

But all Sesshomaru felt was mounting panic and desperation.

Her damn yokai had a mated a wolf.

A filthy wolf!

_Are you pleased, you lovesick bitch? Look at the trouble you've wrought. _

Sesshomaru's yokai just gave a little content huff. She was always interfering. Well. This would be easy enough to correct.

Sesshomaru had not felt fear like this in a long time. She gently slipped herself out from under his arm, accidentally waking him in her haste. Koga rubbed an eye and removed his arm, not quite processing what was going on.

"Sesshomaru?" His voice was deeper than usual from sleep. And she ignored the strange rush of hormones it set off in her waist. Pausing and shivering before continuing to dress.

She finished dressing faster than he'd ever seen anyone dress; armor, shoulder cuff, swords, fancy obi, shoes. Slapped on in precise layers, and finished as she swept that heavy, huge tail up over her shoulder.

And suddenly, he remembered. _You must stop her. _

_Shit!_

He only just managed to get on his skirt, leg protectors and sword before she darted out of the cave, saying nothing and transforming into a ball of light.

"Damn it! Sesshomaru!"

He gave chase. It was a very cool morning- puffs of his breath could be seen in the air as he sprinted. Frost crunched underneath his feet and coated his legs in freezing, chunky dew.

She was certainly fast, faster than most of his kin. But he wouldn't let her get away.

Not this time.

Now Sesshomaru had experienced a lot of different methods of attack in his…her, lifetime.

What she did not expect from the damn wolf was for him to tackle her like a fucking linebacker and send them both spiraling into a nearby tree from her momentum. His back slamming into the bark, and several pieces falling off and littering the ground. Koga saw stars, and had to catch the wind that had been knocked out of him.

He was holding tightly to the little ball of white light struggling in his arms.

Sesshomaru burst forth in a flash of white light, snarling viciously. Before Koga could even really process what was happening, she'd looped that vicious acid whip twice around his neck and pinned him with her other arm high on the tree. His feet dangled.

And he could smell the awful smell of his own flesh burning. There was a loud hissing in his ears.

"You should have been grateful and ran- when you had the option." She hissed, pulling the rope brutally tighter, bit by bit cutting off his air.

"I have the marked one's right. You cannot kill me." He whispered, tilting his head back in agony and clenching his fists. Wanting to claw at the rope but knowing it'd bite through the flesh on his palms as venemously as the flesh on his neck.

He saw her eyes flick to the mark on his chest.

Her mark. A crescent blue moon.

"And you think I care if your tribe disintegrates? If your line ends because I take another?" She snarled. She was right up in his face now, and he could feel her warm breath and see the gleam of her very sharp teeth.

"You think- I wouldn't able to- snag a different mate-first?" Koga whispered, choking and coughing in between words, his legs scrambling for purchase on the smooth tree trunk. This seemed to give her a slight pause.

Wolves were irritatingly prolific. And Koga's pack was much closer. He could probably get laid quicker than she could, as much as she hated to admit it. And when he mated another yokai, her mark would blacken and fester. Slowly, painfully, killing her.

Consuming her for her mate's infidelity.

She slid him down about two feet and allowed him a quick breath of air.

"Maybe I should just kill you, then. If that is your intent." She whispered. Eyes like terrifying shattered yellow jewels.

_Ah, shit._

_Making me put all my cards on the table. _

He thought and sighed before muttering, " I've got Sire's rights, Sesshomaru. You can't just run off." His blue eyes meeting her fetid gaze. Sire's rights weren't commonly used among yokai, but were often used among Daiyokai. It was a way to keep Daiyokai's from dying out(after they nearly had in Inu No Taisho's time).

Daiyokai were so rare and prized; every bit of them. Even pelts. They were ridiculously strong, hopelessly beautiful, and in constant danger of having their heads lobbed off.

For there was no greater honor than killing a Daiyokai in battle.

Her eyes widened in surprise, the rope around his neck snapping back into her hand.

Searching his face, checking for any sort of tick that would give him away.

A little alarmed that the wolf seemed to be telling the truth.

"Liar."

He held out a hand, palm- up. " Smell, then, if you don't believe me. You've got a good nose."

She grabbed his hand none too gently, drinking in the smell of his blood. Then smelling her own wrist, the tip of her tail flicking nervously.

It was there.

The tiniest taint of his blood in her. Underneath the stink of her own sweat and smells from the cave.

Something only the two of them had noses good enough for.

She looked as panicked as he felt- her eyes wider than he'd ever seen them and her body trembling slightly.

"Hey-" He went to set a hand on her shoulder, snapping his arm back just in time to avoid a nasty lash from her claws.

"Do not. Touch me." She snarled, still thinking.

"It's one month, Sesshomaru. It's not going to kill you. And if you're still unhappy at the end of the moon-cycle, I'll make the moon-tea for you myself." Koga said, quietly, though he very much did not want to.

He didn't want to make the tea that would destroy his pup.

But he did want Sesshomaru to stay with him. And had to offer her some sort of … comfort or consolation to the clearly panicking Foo-Dog.

"And then you can go back to the Palace, and pretend none of this ever happened. But I have a right to show I can be a proper mate to you; one Daiyokai to another. That's a law even you can't break."

She hissed at him like a wild animal and he blinked, sighing a bit and crossing his arms. "Yeah, yeah." Rubbing his neck and repressing a whimper. It hurt like hell! He'd have to make sure to put some salve on it later so it didn't get infected.

He was surprised when he saw her eyeing the wound. And could have sworn that just for a second, there was a faint tightening around her eyes as if she was… sorry.

He waited for some time before gently prodding, "So?" not wanting to drag her back against her will.

Saw her swallowing thickly and messed with the two swords at her hip, her tail curling all over itself in anxiety. "Just give me a moment to think."

Pausing when he stood there, tail flicking a bit back and forth.

"**_Alone_**." She added with some venom. Koga raised his hands, "All right. All right." Walking off about thirty feet or so. Not really trusting her to get out of his eyesight just yet.

Sesshomaru sat with her legs crossed, her chin resting on the back of her hand.

She could get away from him, if she wanted to. She knew that.

_And yet…_

Now that she was able to think more clearly, there was a strange hesitation she felt in going back to the Palace. Assuredly, her mother Inukimi would make her drink the potion. She would be rid of Koga and his vile offspring, and transform back into a man. And then continue his wanderings and…

And what?

Sesshomaru's path was muddled. She'd spent the last five years seeking out and destroying the most powerful yokai alive, save for the four Daiyokai rulers that held up their kingdoms. As much as Sesshomaru wanted to kill them, even she understood that mowing them down would only create more war and strife.

_I seek only to battle the most powerful beings alive._

And she had. And now? She was one of the most powerful beings alive. Perhaps even the most powerful being alive. Yokai shuddered when they said her name. Birds took flight when she entered the vast forests of her territories. And for the first time in her long existence, she was doubting her resolve.

Rin was well taken care of.

And the last time he'd seen her had been… well, a bit awkward. She was fourteen now, and her interests were starting to turn in the direction of the other sex. She was… Well.

She was looking at him in the way that female yokai often looked at him. Seeking a mate. But he would not have her. And very gently, told her as much. He was her father. Her protector. That had been an awkward conversation.

But that was a place in her life he could not take. They died so quickly after all.

Sesshomaru's face showed some amusement. Well. That would have been a slightly worse situation. She could imagine her mother's reaction if she introduced a human as a mate.

Rin would be dead before teatime.

_What am I really after? _

_Where am I going in this life? Surely there is some important task still left for me. _She despaired at the thought that all that was left was for her to wait for Inukimi to waste away, then take over the throne.

No; she'd gone adrift many years ago to avoid being chained to the throne. She would take it when she had to, and not the moment before.

Never. That's what she had said. No bastards, no stupid pup.

And yet. Now that there was very likely one in her… She could feel a very slight hesitation in her resolve to get rid of it that irked her.

A hesitation in her body and mind.

Some… tiny scrap of weakness. Like a tiny bubble in ice; liable to burst open under too much pressure and cause the entire lake to shatter.

She didn't understand it. _Why? It is the correct decision. If not now, then later, by Inukimi's claws. _

_What? You think you could be a mother?_

The Daiyokai almost shuddered at the thought. No, no. Sesshomaru had barely 'taken care' of Rin, and it was in a very loose sense. Often, he let her forage on her own. Only learning to hunt for her, to fetch her blankets in winter, much later on.

In a lot of ways it had been Rin teaching Sesshomaru how to parent. How to… talk. Feel. Learn. Be someone again after the death of his father and the crushing pressure of Inukimi's demands.

Sesshomaru rubbed her temples, trying to get to the source of it. But her feelings were cloud and would not solidify.

_It must just be hormones or my damn yokai. _

She finally dismissed. All she had to do was put up with Koga's nonsense, sign some paperwork, and in a month everything would be back to the way it should be.

But she would not go quietly.

"I have my own proposition for you. I will go with you if you fight me for one turn, without losing. Meaning I did not find opportunity for a lethal blow at your neck, head, or chest. Swords only."

Koga looked slightly nervous. He'd only been practicing his swordwork for about two years. Sesshomaru had been doing that since… well, probably since he'd been inside Inukimi.

The Foo-Dog made an irritated sound, " I will even use Tokijin. But if the blade tip touches you, in any of those areas, you lose. And I take my leave of you. Do we have an agreement?"

The wolf took a deep breath, and nodded. Drawing his sword.

Ginka and Hakakku were out on patrol with three others when they paused.

"Hey. Isn't that Koga?"

They sniffed their air. " Uh huh. He's with someone, though. That's the same smell that was on his leg a few days ago." They looked at each other before nodding, taking off in the direction of the smell.

Skidding to a halt in the trees when they saw it and ducking into the underbrush.

Of course, Koga and Sesshomaru knew they were there- in fact, had smelled them well before they arrived.

But they weren't important right now. Koga, going toe to toe with Sesshomaru. Only… the Foo-Dog seemed different somehow. Smaller?

As their swords clashed and Koga darted around the clearing, the two wolves whispered to each other like kids in the back of a classroom.

"How come he's fighting with Sesshomaru? We've got no quarrels with the Foo-Dogs!"

Hakakku tilted his head, petting one of the wolf's heads close by and whispering, " I… I think that's why he's been gone so long. You know what I think? I think… they're courting each other. Remember how he said he was helping out a female in heat? What if…?" The wolf trailed off.

Ginka hissed, " Don't be insane. Sesshomaru's not female, idiot!" though, he trailed off a bit as he watched.

"Well, she certainly smells that way. And looks that way. I wonder what happened? Maybe she got cursed or something."

Koga winced ,leaning as far back as he could go. Sesshomaru's silver sword whizzing past in a woosh of cold air, slicing off a part of Koga's bangs. That had been close. Too close.

"They are distracting you, Koga." She murmured, coming down beside him and hitting him with the butt of her sword. He felt a crack of one of his ribs and jumped away.

"Do not focus on them. Focus on me. And yourself." She leapt for him again. He was fast though- and had decent cardio strength, and strength in his wrists.

He skidded off to the side, barely dodging her. He didn't have any time to think ! Any time to plan! All he could do was react and dodge with this damn Foo-Dog! Koga was already panting and coated in a light layer of sweat.

He crouched in front of her, snarling, his tail whipping back and forth.

He was going to win this.

He was going to win her, and he was going to win for the pup inside her.

All he had to do was not let that damn sword dig into any of those three places. Blood was pounding in his ears, now. Wasn't that stupid Daiyokai blood supposed to be helping him out?

What Koga didn't realize is that, it was. He was much faster than before.

Before, this match would have been over before it started.

Before, Sesshomaru's temper wouldn't be rising slightly in irritation at his swiftness. And he had good rhythm- or rather, lack of it. His movements were so unpredictable that Sesshomaru didn't know what Koga was doing until about two seconds before it happened.

It made him hard to hit.

An irritating trait.

Sesshomaru cranked up the barrage. It was all the wolf could do not to get struck- in fact, he was struck in many other areas. Legs, knees, ribs, stomach. Both arms.

But it seemed like when she did, he suddenly became more desperate as well. Landing three quick, shallow blows on her in the course of a few seconds, and then darting away again.

Hakakku and Ginta watched in silent amazement as Sesshomaru, suddenly, was forced to take a step back.

In a second, a blur of movement.

Koga's wrist and arm gave a violent 180 degree twist, his blade connected to Sesshomaru's. And just for an instant, Tessaiga was freed from Sesshomaru's hand.

She'd been disarmed of her weapon.

Sesshomaru grabbed it quickly enough on its way to the ground, so quick that Hakakku and Ginta probably hadn't seen what happened. But she did. And so did Koga.

He stood, nervous. Ears slightly pricked and the very tip of his tail giving a low, nervous wag. His breathing fast and light. The Foo-Dog glanced up at the sun.

It had been exactly a turn- one hour. And somehow, the stupid, disgusting wolf had managed to disarm her.

"One month. Then you must let me go."

Koga raised a hand to his temple, making little salute.

"Scout's honor."

Sesshomaru rubbed her wrist lightly and snarled, " Get dressed, for decency's sake. And tell your friends to stop gawking; its unbecoming of all canids." Her glare managing to reach the two wolves hiding in the bushes. She sheathed her sword with a low click. They jumped, running to Koga's side and keeping their distance from the very angry Foo-Dog.

"W-we weren't spying! We were just worried about Koga! He's never usually gone from the pack this long." Ginta explained and Sesshomaru looked at him evenly.

Snapping her teeth at him.

He jumped a good few feet in the air, and cowered behind Koga.

"Oh for God's sake." Koga rolled his eyes. Shoving them off when they started seeing the differences in him, as well,  
"Woah, dude! Your cheeks…" and reaching out for his stripes. He waved them off. " Later, later. I'll explain everything later all right?"

Making a quick stop at the waterfall to grab the rest of his armor, his shoulder pads, his arm warmers, etc. before heading back to the pack's cave.

Carefully matching pace with Sesshomaru and letting the other two wolves engage in conversation as they made their way back. Ginta and Hakakku slowly drifting ahead while he and Sesshomaru stayed a few feet behind.

But she noted he didn't invade her space. A good three feet or so away from her. Unlike those other damn wolves.

Slowly, her shoulders started to fall from their high, tense position.

The sun was like a gentle, warm arm across her shoulders. It was actually not too bad of a day… one of those rare, summer-like spring days still clinging to the bite of winter.

Accidentally, their eyes met. His eyes were icy again, she remembered them being a different shade before.

During sex, she suddenly realized.

They were like… blue fire. Burning her from the inside out. Wolves naturally had a slightly warmer temperature than dogs; helped with the icy winters, and with disease.

A memory bubbled into her mind- his fangs in her neck, four hot points, his claws sliding up her back. Him so tight inside her she was a little worried she'd burst.

Her own claws in his hair, wrapped tight to his scalp. Biting back a scream until his fangs gently slid from her. Precious blue blood slipping down her neck in a warm trickle as he whispered against her skin;

_Go on. Sing for me. _

Before latching once more.

And she had. Oh, she'd howled for him until her throat was sore.

Sesshomaru's face went pink, pink to the tips of her ears.

_Don't show me this !_

Sesshomaru screeched at her yokai, but the beast was simply amused.

Her throat suddenly dry, the moisture seeming to relocate to a different and much more embarrassing area. Koga's head tilted a bit, and she could tell from the position of his tail he could smell it. But luckily, he said nothing, instead asking, " Have you eaten today? Would you like to come with some of my runners at dusk to go hunting?"

Sesshomaru gave him a wary glance, still processing the way her body reacted to him now with much discomfort. And, embarrassment. " Oh. I do not need to feed nearly as often as regular yokai. I think you'll find the same for your own appetite. And its doubtful I'll be much use to stealth-hunting in my yokai form."

Koga blinked, a little surprised. " You only hunt in your demon form? When's the last time you went hunting?"

Sesshomaru paused , counting on her fingers before finally admitting in a lower tone, " A while." And leaving it at that. Koga's expression changing to one of slight concern.

No wonder her yokai had made this transformation for her. Usually, wolves transformed back and forth every few days, weeks. It helped keep them in touch with their instincts, temper their urges to hunt, mate, kill.

Generally speaking, a wolf who did not transform was cause for concern. It meant that wolf was not in tune with their inner needs at all; was actively suppressing them.

Wolves like that were the most dangerous. Instinct built until it was at explosive levels. They were liable to lash out explosively and unpredictably. Even at those they loved.

Koga didn't know how it was with Foo-Dogs, but he assumed it was at least close.

Something had happened to Sesshomaru. Something terrible.

When they arrived, most of the pack came out as usual to greet them. Chatting, talking. Eager to see Koga and – what was this? A Daiyokai? The more came out, the more uncomfortable Sesshomaru became; he could see it in the way her shoulders rose and her tail began to bristle.

Before she had a chance to draw her weapon Koga stomped the ground with his left foot and let out a low, deep growl.

It's vibrations rippling through the crowd and skittering pebbles. Staying close to her and leaning out into the crowd, forcing the wolves too close away from her. His nose wrinkled in anger and the whites of his eyes occasionally staining with a deep blue as his demon writhed.

The three closest scrambled back in embarrassment, whimpering lowly.

_Stay away._ The snarl said as it continued. A line of drool working its way down Koga's chin. The intensity softening when the crowd's noise got lower and lower.

The crowd was now absolutely quiet. All eyes on Koga. Waiting expectantly.

Sesshomaru was quietly, surprised.

Koga swallowed extra spit and murmured, "Stop. I will be out in about fifteen minutes to explain everything but- damn. Be respectful, and give her s**_pace_**!" His last sentence was most definitely a command- very low in his throat, practically in his belly.

Another male tried to sneak closer, entranced by the Foo-Dogs soft silvery beauty. Sesshomaru started to react, but a rush of wind stopped her claws.

Koga pinned the grey wolf to the ground, his foot in the center of the wolf's chest.

"I think that's close enough, Shen." Koga let his eyes go blue, the irises a deep, alarming red as he licked his teeth. All the time, that growl leaking from his frame. The wolf cowered, tail tucked. "S-Sorry Koga."

His canine fangs that were much larger now- overlapping his bottom gums when his mouth closed. Each tooth in his mouth was as sharp and thick as a shark's tooth, and Koga's gums were black.

Black like a wolf's lips.

She hadn't noticed that before.

Then again, she hadn't been able to count every tooth in his head before. She could now.

Koga waited, his eyes flicking back to their blue-and-white. The wolf named Shen looked up at him, and after a moment, Koga leaned down, offering him a hand up. Which he took gratefully. Embarrassed.

"M'Sorry." He muttered again, and Koga patted his shoulder, " No big deal." Sending him back off into the crowd.

The crowd parted for them both, all curious stares and occasional, apologetic tail-wags. Koga made sure to gently touch a few of them in reassurance- a pat on the shoulder, a pet on the tail.

They'd greeted her as a wolf would, but that was dangerous with Sesshomaru.

He didn't want any of his pack hurt by trying to approach her. And he didn't want Sesshomaru feeling overwhelmed and uncomfortable here as everyone, in an attempt to be welcoming, invaded her space.

Sesshomaru breathed a sigh of relief. Well. At least they listened to him. He changed on a dime as they walked- his eyes back to their normal whites, his teeth smaller as he chatted, " Eheh, sorry about that. They've kinda got their nose in everyone's business all the time. But once they get used to your smell, they'll leave ya alone. It just takes a little while."

His tail giving low content wags and his arms crossed comfortably behind his head. Koga could go from competent, frightening leader of the wolf tribe to dumb frat boy at the turn of a dime.

_But then again_, Sesshomaru thought. _So can I_.

"Also, please don't go wandering around the caves without me or one of the other wolves to guide you We made them really hard to navigate so that when we get attacked, intruders get lost. Even with my sense of smell I've gotten lost plenty of times." He murmured, checking the lamps as they passed to make sure they had enough oil.

"Noted." She said softly, looking at the lamps with some interest. She'd assumed that the wolf tribe just slept in one, big, primitive cave.

She didn't know they had things like lamps down here. And all these forking tunnels. It was kind of fascinating.

There was the smell of so many wolves. It was making Sesshomaru's head spin. "Its so… dense. How can you stand so many different smells on you?" Sesshomaru muttered, yellow eyes glassy.

Koga blinked in surprise. " Well. It's… comforting to us. To smell like your brothers and sisters. As they say- lone wolves die, but a pack survives."

They made their way to a door on the lefthand side of the tunnel. It looked like simple pine or cedar; and there was a faint smell of fresh oils. It smelled nice.

Koga opened the door and lit the lamp, and Sesshomaru peered inside. Surprised to find that it was similar in a lot of ways to her rooms in the Foo-Dog Palace.

Sesshomaru had moved from the horrendously extravagant rooms his mother had given him to a much simpler building, far away from the main Palace. And its rooms were like this – bed, desk, chairs and a table. Shelving. A stone hearth for a fire. Some comfortable, thick rugs that felt like the grass outside.

Simple.

It smelled very strongly of him, though. And she bit back a comment about wolf-stink. At least Koga seemed to take a bath every once in a while- she wasn't sure the same could be said for some of the other wolves.

" You can choose whatever bed you prefer. Ayame was pretty big into books, so those should keep you busy if you don't end up wanting to go on hunts or border patrols with us." He said quietly.

_She's probably used to such finery. _

_I wonder if she's sneering down her nose at me right now. _

He thought, and it was a little disheartening. He wanted her to be… comfortable while she was here. And his room was actually one of the better ones.

Many were nothing more than simple nests.

That would have been… a bit uncomfortable.

"How is the wound." Sesshomaru said without looking at him. Wandering into the room, comparing the beds. She liked the big one, but the smaller one seemed more plush, and also didn't smell so strongly of Koga which was nice.

The wolf's tail flicked as he pulled aside the curtain to the other room. Pulling out drawers that held all of his medicines and herbs before smearing one of them all the way around his neck.

"Fine. Like you said, Daiyokai heal pretty fast. With this, hopefully it won't scar. Though…. Guess it'd be a good memory in time." He joked, looking her over. She was sitting in one of the chairs, and had a few cuts from him as well.

Raising her brow slightly, " You place that in the category of a good memory? You almost died."

He chuckled, " All good stories are like that." Setting the little container in her palm. Tilting his head a bit when he felt her jump as their fingers brushed.

She was very… jumpy. He found it odd.

"You can use this, if you want. I have to go talk to the pack. They're probably all wound up. Will you be all right in here for a bit?" She sniffed the container. It didn't smell like any medicine she was familiar with… but, it certainly was pungent.

"Oh no. I , Sesshomaru, am going to be left alone in a room for a few minutes. How will I survive." Sesshomaru said dryly as she unscrewed the little wooden box. Koga perking up a little when he realized, _There is someone in there. I knew it._

_She's joking around with me. _

He couldn't help but laugh, leaning into the door frame as she did so.

"Yeah, guess I needed a little perspective on that huh? Miss lone wolf." She looked over incredulously, her tail floofing a bit. What? She wasn't a – oh. She colored slightly.

"Sorry, Sorry. It's just an expression. I uh. I'll be back in a bit." He said, closing the door gently and heading down the hallways, occasionally having to pause to have a chuckle.

When he arrived back at the entrance, he was met with full-on hugs. From Hakakku and Ginka obviously, but also from the other members who had been equally worried.

"Koga!"

"We missed you!"

"We're so glad you're okay!" He was laughing softly, ruffling their hair and blushing a little when his tail was lifted and inspected by the pack. He felt gentle touches on his cheeks, tracing the stripes.

"You're a Daiyokai! You'll have to tell us everything!"

"All right all right! Yeesh! Get offa me!" He huffed, crawling up to one of their ledges and getting comfortable before tapping his chest with his fingers.

"All right. Questions. Shoot em at me."

His pack gathered round the ledge. Ginka and Hakakku crawling up to sit wit him while the other ones gathered, barking questions up at him.

"How did you become a Daiyokai?"

Koga pulled part of his armor down a bit, showing the crescent moon mark on his chest.

"Sesshomaru gave me her mark. When she did, all this just…. Appeared. She said I always had the potential in my blood, even though I wasn't born a Daiyokai. Next question."

"Why is Sesshomaru here?"

Koga sighed a little. " She's here, with me, for some paperwork and other-issues that need resolving. She'll be here for a moon cycle. But I dunno if she's gonna stay. What happens next after that is her decision."

"Is she gonna be your mate, Koga?"

His cheeks reddened up a bit, " It's… complicated. We'll have to see." And he crossed his arms, hoping they would stop asking about Sesshomaru. But of course, they didn't. He was more than grateful when he finally had to stop answering questions for the dusk patrols.

"Sorry you guys! I'll be back for breakfast tomorrow, and you can drill me again then. Ginka, Hakakku, wait for me here. I wanna see if Sesshomaru wants to come."

They tried not to do border checks at the same time every day, and they'd caught enough game this morning so they wouldn't have to hunt at dusk, which was nice. Just an easy border run.

Killing demons. Easy, and fun. He was pretty sure even Sesshomaru would enjoy it.

And maybe one more around midnight. The feral yokai of the forests could still smell Sesshomaru and Koga, and were wandering into his territory more often.

Two Daiyokai in the same area meant the possibility of yokai pups, kits. And there was no other flesh they wanted more in the entire world. Eating a Daiyokai pup gave you a power boost similar to the Shikon Jewel shards, but without the drawbacks of its taint and Naraku's influence.

Of course, you had to be okay with murdering and devouring a child; and, most likely, killing a breeding pair of Daiyokai. But the demons of the forests of this world were one hundred percent okay with that.

Koga knocked before entering, his tail giving little low lags. Been a while since he'd had to worry about knocking. He remembered fondly Ayame screeching at him one time when he'd accidentally walked in on her dressing.

It had been worth it, though.

"Hey. You wanna go for a border run with us? Kill some demons?"

Sesshomaru perked up a little. She was good at that. " Mm. Yes." Running off some pent-up emotions was exactly what she needed right now. The simplicity of the hunt and kill.

To stop thinking about the fact that she was here. With him. For a month.

To stop thinking about … her arm went over her abdomen for a half second as she stood, joining him and closing the door behind her. They walked through the tunnels, Sesshomaru asking occasional questions about their construction and support systems.

Once they were outside, Ginka and Hakakku joined them as well as two other wolves. One with black hair like Koga, and one with soft brown fur and eyes.

"Let's go." Koga smirked, and the wolves , and one dog, disappeared in a shimmer of energy.

It was the fastest run they'd ever done.

Sesshomaru was excellent with her whip. And, she was also surprisingly good at working around the bodies of the other wolves. More than once, he'd felt that green whip crackling right by him, so close he could feel the bristling heat and occasional, acid droplet.

As the wolves tackled yokai, her whip went around them. Finishing off any yokai that they hadn't noticed. Once, she'd grabbed Ginka with her tail and flung him out of harms way as a giant set of razor sharp teeth closed in the space the wolf had been seconds before.

Though her expression was calm, Koga was beginning to be able to read her.

And he could tell by the faint glitter in her eyes, that gleam of concentration, that she was enjoying herself.

The group walked back, panting, coated in blood of varying colors. Talking, chatting. Satisfied. Joking around. One wolf even went in to pat Sesshomaru's shoulder, but paused when she lifted a lip, showing fang.

"I wouldn't." Koga said gently, ruffling the wolf's hair when he looked confused by her reaction. When they returned, of course Hakakku brought out some sake. Each of the wolves partaking in a shot before bed while the dog politely declined.

"Hey, Koga, Sesshomaru. You wanna stay out here with us?" Hakakku offered, sitting down on one of the lower ledges. " It's such a nice night, we figured we'd stay up and tell stories for a while."

Koga looked up. It was nice; beautiful. The night was cloudless, and the milky way was gleaming in the sky. A rippling ribbon of terrible greatness. The stars so bright that there was no need for the moon's light.

He glanced over at Sesshomaru, tilting his head a bit. It was clear from the look in her eyes that she wanted to go back to bed. He smiled, " I'm good tonight, you guys. I'll see ya in the morning. Try not to drink too much."

As they walked, Koga glanced almost thoughtfully down at his blood-smeared arms and legs. "Think maybe I should take a bath?" He turned to Sesshomaru.

The Foo-Dog answered automatically, "Yes. Absolutely." without turning to look at him, and his tail puffed.

"Hey! Rude."

She glanced down at herself. Actually, she wouldn't mind a bath either.

She still smelled strongly of Koga, and sweat. Maybe smelling like herself would make her feel better.

She turned to him, " Are they separate baths?"

And he blinked in surprise. "Well, yeah. We aren't total savages, ya know." And it was her turn to drop their gazes in mild embarrassment.

That is… what she'd thought of the wolf tribe. Made an assumption about all of them without thinking. But this place was so much different than she imagined it would be.

"I'll accompany you. I would like to wash off the blood." She murmured, and he nodded. Leading her down a tunnel that was much more sloped. The soft earth changing into smooth stone the farther they went down.

"How long did it take you to build all of this?"

Koga looked around thoughtfully. "Well. About half of it was done when I was a pup so… probably two generations? Since then we've been having to make more nests since the pack seems to keep growing. We perfected fortifying the tunnels by trial and error. And believe me, being buried in here is no fun."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened a bit. " You were buried?"

"Oh yeah. Almost died from lack of air too. That's why we've got all these little air holes laced throughout the tunnels." Koga pointed to a small hole in the tunnel's ceiling with a pointed claw. "And those are fun because ya gotta put em at an angle and drain em properly. If you don't, your tunnels get flooded in the winter. Pain in my ass, but… at least they're finally finished. For now."

Sesshomaru was quiet for a moment, her tail twitching a bit. She had no idea all of this was under here. In some ways, it was kind of like an underground town.

The Foo-Dog felt the steam just before they turned into another corner, and Koga pulled aside the curtain for her. There were two enormous bath spaces; separated by a wall of rock. The water looked steamy and was a deep, milky blue. Smelling faintly of salt and iron and other minerals.

"Should be clean towels stacked, soap and all that stuff. I'll meet you out here whenever you're done." He said casually, forking off to the men's side of the bath's. She almost made the mistake of following him before catching herself and growling lowly.

_Still not used to being in this weak form. _

Sesshomaru glanced around. By happy coincidence, there were no female wolves bathing in the springs at the current moment.

She gathered up what she needed, made a neat pile of her clothes and slipped into the water. Her tail floating on the surface of the water before finally sinking underneath. She soon found the perfect spot and sank down, the water lapping just underneath her nose as she curled up her body.

It felt so nice. The heat melting away the dirt and filth and the smell of wolf.

It was almost peaceful… well. It would have been anyway, if Koga and his other male wolves weren't busy trying to drown each other on the other side of the wall.

"Koga! Lemme see your tail!"

"Ow! I already told you its sensitive! Back off, slut!"

Splash. Sploosh.

"Get him! Get him while he's down!"

"Dogpile!"

SPLOOSH

She sat up a bit at the long silence that followed, somewhat nervous. Settling back down and grumbling to herself when she heard the lot of them break the surface once more, laughing and swearing.

_They're like hyperactive pups. _

She thought with an annoyed look, grabbing the soap and starting to scrub herself down. Not satisfied until she smelled nothing but herself and the scent of the soap bar's strange, lavender mix on her skin. She then streaked it through her hair, dipping her head under a few times to wash it out.

Startling a bit when, as she was drying herself, she was forced to look down at that female body again.

Her other form had been all angles. But this one was all gentle curves. The curve outward from knee to hip. The tiny other curve inward from hip to ribcage. The strange flatness of the stomach and the wideness of the hips. She traced the maroon stripe on her hip absent mindedly.

_These hands are so weak and useless. No wonder Koga was able to disarm me so easily. _

Sesshomaru thought with no small measure of irritation.

_I feel so… small._

The world felt… different when she was like this. Males felt different. Other females felt different.

Her own body felt so foreign under her claws.

Gathering the towel under her chin for a moment and taking a long, shaking breath. Ignoring the hateful way it clung to her chest and sat so nicely against her stomach and that wretched, neat sex between her legs.

Her tail snaking around her legs and ankles in an attempt at a self-hug.

_I hate this. _

Only for a month, she reminded herself. Just a month. Then everything would go back to normal. What? The great lord Sesshomaru, scared? No such thing. She didn't feel that anymore, no sir.

Sesshomaru didn't feel anything. That was the way it was supposed to be. Because when you can't feel you can't hurt. She dried herself as quickly as she could and dressed. Frowning when she still felt heavy water stuck in her tail.

She looked around. No one there.

Besides, they were all wolves, they would understand. She crouched down on all fours, shaking herself out like a dog. Satisfied when she felt water spraying everywhere and out of her fur.

Standing back up when she was finished and startling a bit when she nearly bumped into Koga at the entrance.

"Oh! Hey." He looked much better off, and she was surprised to see him with his hair down. It was thick and soft and came down in gentle waves that curled slightly at the bottom. Somehow, it made him look… less severe. "Feeling better?"

He trailed off a bit at her expression. She looked kinda pale and shaken, even paler than usual. Something was distressing her. He searched her eyes for a moment before saying lowly, " Not too happy about being female, huh. Guess I don't blame ya."

He lifted a hand without thinking, jumping a bit when she hissed. " Woah! Look. It's empty. I'm not gonna hurt you, okay?"

_Jeez, she's jumpy. Like she things I'm gonna-_

He paused, finishing the thought. _Like I'm gonna strike her._

He reached out again, so slowly. Stopping when her snarls reached their peak and starting again when they lessoned. Eventually managing to get a hand on her cheek. His thumb claw underneath one yellow eye and the other four, tucked away near her temple.

She was actually shaking.

You couldn't see it, but Koga could certainly feel it.

_What happened to you._

_What happened. _He thought in quiet despair. _No wonder you're always striking first. _

" I'm not gonna hurt you with these claws. Ever." He said again. Looking deep into those yellow eyes and drowning in their golden depths. She was trying not to show it, but he could smell it, and feel it's taint in the air.

_What is happening to me? _She thought. Her instincts screaming at her to curl up in his chest and whimper like a whipped dog.

She softened, just for a moment. He felt her pressing her cheek into the warmth of his caramel hand. Letting her skin get tainted by his smell once more.

Sesshomaru seemed to realize it the same time Koga did. And jerked back, slashing at him.

He was able to get most of his hand away, but she still managed to nick his pinky and ring finger with her claws. Blue blood blossoming out and dripping out onto the ground.

"Ouch." He said with mild surprise, sucking the slashes to get them to stop bleeding. Looking at her, but she was pointedly avoiding his gaze.

"Guess you can't say the same thing though, huh." He murmured, thoughtfully. His tail giving low slow movements that were as thoughtful as his gaze. "Sorry. I shouldnt've pushed ya. You ready to head out?"

She nodded silently, her head still spinning.

_I let him touch me. Why did I do that? I never let anyone touch me except for Rin._

They went back to their room. Koga asked if she preferred him to be outside for a bit, but Sesshomaru declined. She wanted to pretend that it hadn't effected her that much. He just shrugged and blew out the lamp curling up in bed after making sure Sesshomaru was settled with a few, warm pelts for the night.

"Hey. Where's that little girl pup you kept with ya, anyway?"

"Rin?" Sesshomaru paused in the darkness. " She is in one of the ningen villages." She played with strands of her damp hair, curling it over a few of her claws.

"How come she's not with you?"

Another small pause. "She needed to learn to live among her own kind. I thought perhaps she'd like to come with me after some time, but she is ah." Sesshomaru thought of the right wording for it. But no matter what way it was said, it was going to be awkward.

"She is interested in me as a mate. So, it is best we have some separation for now. Until she finds another human."

"Oh damn. Were you interested in her, too?" Koga said, always up for gossip.

Sesshomaru scoffed, "Of course not. But I care for her well-being. And she will be safer there than with me."

The Foo-Dog paused and added, "Weren't you after Inuyasha's mate for some time?" and the wolf laughed softly, " Oh, yeah. She was quite the looker. Still is actually but… he won her fair and square. Besides, the more I thought about it, the more I realized it'd be one of those tragic things. I don't wanna mate someone and then have to bury them a coupl'a years later."

Koga paused, then. Remembering Ayame and giving a sigh. Maybe Sesshomaru should know about all of that. But… it wasn't something he wanted to talk about right now.

"Mm. Well, at least you have more sense than my wretched half-brother." Sesshomaru murmured, pulling the pelt over her shoulder and curling up. Wiping some of Koga's smell off her cheek and onto her fingers.

_His smell. _

It was kinda like cinnamon, and leather, and campfire smoke. She wanted to hate it, with every fiber of her being. And if he asked that's certainly what she would tell him.

She curled up her hands under her chin and pulled her legs up, transforming herself into a little ball.

"Yeah. Well, g'night. You want me to wake you up for the dawn hunt?"

The Foo Dog considered this, eyes moving under their lids. " I am not certain… just, ask me tomorrow morning."

"All right."

It was quiet, in Koga's room. Quiet and dark and faintly cool, just the way she liked to sleep. She fell asleep with his scent faintly in her nose. And strangely, slept long and deeply, which was unusual for Sesshomaru.

Ignoring the way her abdomen felt slightly warmer than the rest of her body.

Warm like him.

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SammyJams- Haha! Well, you know how it is. I'm always worried I'm gonna get banned on here. Glad you like it though! And I'll try to include more of that later.

Miss Critique- Hey, thanks! Glad you liked it, and I hope you like this chapter, too.


	3. Chapter 3

It was almost dawn. Koga was busy getting dressed- throwing his hair back into its usual ponytail and sliding his hairband up over all of it to keep his bangs out of the way. Sesshomaru was still deep in sleep; he could tell by the pattern of her breathing.

His gaze softened when he walked over to her. All curled up, her face barely showing; everything else covered up by pelts of varying colors and patterns. He'd never seen this sort of soft, gentle expression on her face before, and it made something in his stomach twinge.

_She's my woman. My mate._

_And if any male touches her, I'm gonna lose my goddamn mind._

Koga huffed. When Shen had gotten so close to her like that, it'd taken quite some effort not to just kill him on the spot.

Oh, he'd wanted to. But packs didn't thrive under leaders who killed like that.

Koga couldn't guarantee it wouldn't happen though.

Sesshomaru's eyes were usually narrowed in anger, her face feral and fierce. Not so now. Her eyebrows were relaxed, her lashes casting little shadows on her cheeks that crossed those maroon stripes perfectly. Clawed hands tucked under her chin and the river of mercury hair parted by the curve of her shoulder. A thousand beautiful silver strands.

Koga crouched next to her, balanced on his toes. His tail swishing in low arcs behind him and his forearms resting on his thighs.

_Sesshomaru. _

It didn't feel real, her being here. Her smell, so delicate, in his rooms.

His instincts were strong with her. Demanding his smell be on her. Demanding that he slide into those pelts with her, right now. Hold her so tight against him so that she would never shake again the way she had when his hand had rested on her cheek.

_This is gonna be harder than I thought. _

His claws hands were gently clenching and unclenching and his claws glittered in the darkness. Was it because of the pup? Or was it something else? Koga wasn't sure. But whatever it was it was really strong in his chest; spreading outward with each pulse of his heartbeat.

Her remembered her taste. The taste of her skin and blood and saliva. Silver on his tongue and cooling, chilling to the ever-present heat that was always him.

So unique… like nothing he'd ever had before.

Those three days… he hadn't wanted it to end. Half-guilt, half satisfaction for taking something so beautiful for his own. Something he had no right to take.

Talk about out of his league.

His gaze was even, and he felt his yokai shifting restlessly under his skin.

_Do you even know how beautiful you are? _

He thought. It was funny… he didn't even lust after her, just then. He just wanted to be near. Wanted her in his arms and her head to his chest. Thinking of that sweet moment when, just for a second, he'd felt her press against his hand.

It was clear some part of her still wanted affection. All canids did. God, how horrible he'd felt when that fear tinged the air as his hand went to her skin.

Someone had struck her, he was sure of it. Someone important to her, someone she trusted. Must have been when she was small- he couldn't imagine anyone touching her without permission now.

Daiyokai never forgot something like that.

It made him so angry he could hardly think straight.

_I will never hurt you. And I hope you give me half a chance to prove as much, before you leave. _He thought, a strange ache in his chest.

Thinking about her leaving… hurt.

The mark on his chest, her mark, told him she was dreaming. But about what, he couldn't tell.

Before he even realized what he was doing, he was nuzzling her. His cheek against hers. That cheek as white as snow, with stripes the color of congealed blood. Her skin was as smooth as rabbit fur and as warm as winter sun.

Koga snapped himself out of it just in time; Sesshomaru woke with bleary confusion as he was moving back. Shocked and a little irritated in himself for slipping under so easily like that.

" Do you want to go out with us on a hunt this morning?"

Sesshomaru was still quite sleepy, and processing. Was the warmth on her cheek part of a dream, or something that had just happened? Her stupid yokai had been plaguing her with memories of his warm touch.

"Mm? No…. thank you." She muttered, her voice gentler than usual and low from sleep. Tired… she was so tired, it felt like an ache in her bones. Maybe a little more sleep would help. Her voice making his black tail bristle slightly and his tanned skin break out in goosebumps.

"Ah, all right. See ya soon." He whispered back, his tail giving a low satisfied flick. Leaving her to rest.

When he came back later, he was surprised to see that she was still in bed. Before, she'd usually been up about the same time he was, and sometimes earlier.

Rising with the sun.

He turned the lamp on, very low. Climbing onto his bed to reach some of the shelves that were high-up on the wall and pulling down a box. In it; leather binders. All different kinds of yokai skin; deer and elk being the most prevalent. He then climbed back down, starting to sort through the folders to try and find some blank pieces of parchment.

When he found what he was looking for, he went to wake her.

"Sesshomaru. You should get up. It's late." She sat up slowly, looking round and rubbing an eye. It was hard to tell what time it was down here. She lifted her head and sniffed. Some air was getting in through the vents. It was…

"Afternoon?" She muttered, confused, rubbing the side of her face. She hadn't slept that long since she was a teen. And they hadn't even gone to bed all that late.

" Mm hmm. Are ya hungry? I can fetch something if ya want." He asked. Sesshomaru shook her head, rubbing her arms and elbows with curiosity. So sore! All her joints were sore.

"All right. Hey, can you help me with this? We gotta write up a contract." He murmured. She slid out of bed, stacking the pelts as best she could before getting into a chair next to him.

He'd left the fire going; and it was down to embers, now. The heat warm on her tail as she wrapped it around her feet.

Still tired. So odd. Well, she hadn't slept much during her heat, so… maybe that was it?

"What contract?" She asked, going quiet when their eyes met. A slight pink blush on the very tips of her ears.

"Oh, right."

After a coupling, both parties had to draw up a contract in case of pups. It wasn't super important among common yokai, but it was pretty important for someone like Sesshomaru. Even if she did end up drinking the potion, marking Koga and carrying his offspring, even for one month, needed to be kept track of somewhere.

Just in case.

As Koga wrote up the contact she viewed the leathery files and parchment inside with some surprise. " I didn't know wolves … did paperwork."

He looked faintly amused. " Its important to make sure we're not interbreeding. Wolves don't usually mate with any other species of yokai, and there are six separate species in our territories. We breed the most with the artic wolves, and grandfather was starting to notice- … side effects. So now, whenever wolves want to become mates, I or the elders check the paperwork to make sure they're not actually distant cousins or something."

Sesshomaru nodded. It made sense. Usually, Foo-Dogs mated within their own races as well, so they'd done the same thing. Of course, Inu No Taisho had kind of fucked everything up by making that half-breed Inuyasha. If he'd had another son or daughter with another Foo-Dog it wouldn't have been a big deal…

But only Sesshomaru's pups could sit on the throne. He was the only Daiyokai Foo-Dog left in the line.

And after having Sesshomaru, Inukimi simply refused all other suitors, instead letting that responsibility rest nicely on Sesshomaru's shoulders.

Another reason he'd left the Palace.

Koga slid the parchment over to Sesshomaru, " Does it read okay? Should I add anything?" And the Foo-Dog read it all the way through. Koga's handwriting was a little messy, but legible. And surprisingly, much more formal than she'd thought. Pretty close to what she would have written.

"No. It's adequate. Have you written these for other couples before?" She said, slitting her thumb with a fang and pressing a spot of her blood to the bottom of the parchment. Signing next to it to show it was no forgery; for her blood could not be replicated and contained her unique, Daiyokai scent.

Koga did the same; slitting his thumb and pressing his blood into the parchment. Signing carefully next to it. He looked uncomfortable and said, "Well, yes. But I had to draw one up for Ayame and I whenever she became pregnant. Just in case. So … I'm used to writing them."

"Where are your pups?" Sesshomaru said, confused. She hadn't smelled his scent among the pups in the crowds, or anywhere in the tunnels. And she felt sure she would have been at least introduced to them at some point.

"In the earth. None of her pregnancies were successful, and the only one that was died one winter in." Koga said as evenly as he could but his eyes were strangely empty.

She was quiet. Oh. Well. That explained it.

She set a slim, clawed hand atop a few of his fingers. Ignoring the way panic knotted in her stomach and forcing herself, pushing herself just a little though she wasn't sure why.

_Why do I even care?_

Sesshomaru was confused why his discomfort and sadness affected her. Every yokai had their sob story- none of them had mattered. At all. Until Rin. So… why was her she so uncomfortable? And why was her yokai nudging her to comfort him like this?

"It's okay. It was a while ago." He murmured, just feeling her warmth when she took her hand back. Like the wind, that's what she was. So fleeting. He folded up the paper and slipped it into one of the files, leaning over and sniffing her hair.

Earning a very low, angry growl as she leaned away, showing him a fang.

"You still smell tired." He said softly, one of his brows raised in thought. Odd. They hadn't gotten much sleep that week, but eight hours should've been more than enough. Unless her pup-sickness was kicking in a bit early.

"I'll make you some blood tea. Are there any flavors you don't like?" He asked, slipping out of the chair, tail flicking thoughtfully behind him.

"I'm fine." She insisted, and he just huffed. " Mm, yeah whatever. You can tell your fancy servants that. But I know fatigue when I smell it."

She growled, shifting around in her chair. Angry that he'd called her bluff.

" I prefer strong tea." She said, and he was faintly amused. Of course. She probably wasn't much of a sugar sort of person either.

"Mm. Shocking." He said, finding the powder and adding a pinch of herbs that he usually used for the dames in his pack when they started getting pup-sick. The wive's tale was that the sicker the dame got, the healthier the pups were. Koga had actually observed that to be true in his own pack.

He frowned a little, checking his stock. He'd have to send Hakakku and Ginka out to the market to pick up some more blood powder. It was spring after all… and the breeding females in his pack were definitely going to be pregnant within the next few months.

He'd need to stock up on what they needed to ease those symptoms.

"So, what does the great Lord Sesshomaru do for fun?" He asked, setting the kettle on the hook above the hearth. He flopped out onto the bed on his stomach, head resting on his folded arms.

"What." She said, raising a brow.

"Fun. What do you do when you're not killing demons and takin care of that ningen child." He clarified. And was even more amused by the level of confusion on her face. His tail giving a wag. Charming. She was so very interesting.

No one had ever asked her that before.

She wasn't really sure herself.

"Well." She murmured after a moment, " I've been mapping everyone's territories. The ones we Foo-Dog's have are all old, and inaccurate, as are most of the other Daiyokai records. And the human's territories and towns are always growing and changing." She stood, walking to her armor and pulling out a few scraps of white leather.

"Most of mine are in the Palace. But these are a few of the more recent ones. Your territories are down here." She said, opening two of the leathery maps and unfolding it many times until it took up a decent portion of the bed. Koga sat up into his elbows with interest, his claws running along the lines of the rivers and mountains of his home. Even his own map didn't hold Sesshomaru's accuracy and detail.

"Sesshomaru. These are amazing." He whispered. The river, the mountains, the hideout behind the waterfall. The caves where the birds of paradise slept.

"Well. Obviously I'm going to have to make another one now; I didn't even know your caves went underground." Sesshomaru said with mild irritation, leaning over his shoulder. Not liking the way her body reacted to his compliment. The little butterflies and the way her blood rushed just for a moment.

"Nah. Safer for me and my pack if you leave it just like this. " Koga said with a smile, checking out the rest of the map with his tail resting between his legs.

"Mm. Perhaps." Sesshomaru was distracted.

His smell. She could smell the wolf even more clearly when they were close like this.

_Is that cinnamon?_

Yes. Cinnamon, and cured leather, and smoke, and some kind of cedar and musk combination.

_Koga. _

Interesting that it came from the wolf himself. An aroma straight from his skin.

_Did he smell like this before?_

Sesshomaru's eyes closed slowly, lost in that scent and her own instincts. Mouth opening slightly and nose sniffing along the tanned curve of Koga's shoulder, then neck. Tickling the hairs on his ponytail slightly.

Koga heard her sniffing along his neck and half-turned his head, very slowly. A dark brow raised in amusement as he made no attempt to stop her, a cheeky grin on his face. He could feel the warmth of her breath on his neck. Her mouth and nose so close to his skin.

Her tail was moving on the ground. One could say, very poor attempts at wagging that was more like low writhing.

_Such a nice scent. _

_A wonderous amalgamation… _Her tongue dragged gently along his neck.

Sesshomaru snapped out of it suddenly, nearly giving herself whiplash as she snapped her head away from him. He looked amused and leaned on one elbow, turning his body to face hers.

"Did I have some blood on me or something?" He said, blue eyes glittering as he stifled a grin. Koga knew exactly why she'd reacted like that, and it had nothing to do with any lingering blood on his skin.

And everything to do with the fact that she was his dame now.

Her reactions were so cute.

"That is what it must have been." Sesshomaru said a little too quickly. Confused and a little worried. What the hell had that been, just now?

Koga blinked. Ah, she really didn't know then.

"Didn't anyone teach you anything about what happens when a female becomes a dame? How your instincts change?" He said, very gently.

She gripped just under her bicep with her free hand, embarrassed.

"Not even from Inukimi?"

Sesshomaru just looked away, avoiding his gaze.

No… When Sesshomaru had been a man he could not have been less interested in those things. And when he'd learned of the transformation, he'd just assumed he'd be spending only a week in this female body. It wasn't… relevant information.

He didn't want to know about any of it.

Maybe that had been a mistake.

Koga sighed, then lifted his head, sniffing. "Ah, it's ready." He rolled out of bed again, pouring the tea and grabbing a piece of yokai jerky for himself from his stores before sitting down at the table. Patting the spot next to him and setting the cup down for her.

She sat next to him reluctantly, tail wrapping around her legs nervously. Ugh. She felt like a pup all over again. But how on earth could Sesshomaru have known that information would be needed.

Honestly… even if he hadn't, it wouldn't be something he'd want to discuss with her.

Her mind wandered. Inukimi would be wondering where she'd gone. Sesshomaru would have to send her a message soon letting her know she was still alive.

She'd be suspicious. But she knew the laws. They'd both be in trouble from the rest of the Foo-Dog clan, and the wolf tribe, if Sesshomaru refused Koga's sire right.

Besides… it wasn't quite as horrible as she'd thought it would be. Not in the first few days, anyway.

"Do you want to know a little at a time, or everything?" Koga asked after she'd taken a few sips of the blood tea. Pleased to see she gave it a tiny glance of approval before taking another, longer sip.

"All relevant information, I suppose." Sesshomaru said after a pause. " I tire of… surprises." This whole damn heat had been a surprise. Koga's marking had been a surprise.

His damn offspring had been a surprise. It'd be nice not to have any more for a little while.

"Do you want to discuss it with me, or do you wanna have one of the female wolves talk to you?" Koga asked, chewing almost thoughtfully on a small chunk of yokai jerky. Still not used to how much larger his teeth were now. And quite a bit sharper, too.

She looked over at him, a little surprised.

"With you is fine. I'd rather discuss it with you than mother, anyhow." Sesshomaru said, her nose wrinkling up. She couldn't imagine discussing it with her.

Koga blinked, and gave a chuckle. " Oh, fuck. I can't even imagine." Crossing his legs and setting his ankles on the table.

"All right. Well, let's start with what happened just now. And work backwards from there." Koga pointed both claws to either side of his neck. About halfway up.

"I have scent glands, here. One on each side of my neck. One in each of my cheeks. One in each palm. And two on my tail."

_And one, of course…_He thought, trailing off. Sesshomaru didn't need to know about the one down near the genetalia.

It was pretty hard to keep a secret of who you'd slept with in a wolf pack.

Sesshomaru leaned forward a bit, looking at the area he'd pointed to on his neck. " I don't see anything."

"It just looks like sweat. But it's pretty pungent in spring. Changes with the seasons. I don't think Foo-Dogs are as affected by the seasons as we are." He rubbed his neck and the line of his cheek, and then held out a hand for Sesshomaru to smell.

The Foo-Dog sniffed Koga's claws and coughed in surprise, her nose wrinkling. It was the smell from before- but too strong! Like a slap to the face! and the wolf laughed. His tail giving a little flick.

" It's why I'm always scratching on those trees with my claws, or flicking 'em with my tail, when we go on our hunts and border runs. Keeps the borders clear for the other packs. And for those damn tiger yokai." Sesshomaru blinked. She had noticed that, and thought it quite odd at the time.

"The reason why you're all up in my business is that your yokai knows you're carrying a pup. She wants to keep me around to take care of 'em, and you. So she's gonna be pretty flirty with me for the next month or so."

He said matter-of-factly, cleaning one of his teeth with a long claw.

"Meaning?" Sesshomaru said, eyes narrowing a bit.

"Lots of touching. Licking. Rubbing your smell on me, and wanting my smell on you. You're gonna feel really strange if my smell isn't on you. Kinda… sick. And I'm gonna be fuckin' pissed if any of my male wolves flirt with you, or try to scent-mark you." He admitted, in that same, light tone. Of course, other female yokai just preferred sex, but he didn't get that sense from Sesshomaru's yokai.

At least, not yet anyway.

"Scent-mark?" Sesshomaru asked, muttering it under her breath. She'd heard it before, but… didn't quite remember exactly what it was.

It was his turn to raise a brow again. " You were doing it to that girl-pup, Rin, all the time. Using the scent glands in your tail to keep her smelling like you. Why do you think other yokai stayed away? It certainly wasn't because of Jaken." He said with some amusement. The Daiyokai blinked.

Oh. She hadn't even realized. It had just felt like the natural thing to do.

And his tail had been the warmest place for her to sleep when it got cold. He hadn't even thought about it.

This was so… odd. Sitting and talking like this. Having a normal conversation with him.

Or, as mother would have said,

_One of those filthy inbred curs. _

"Is it always with tails?" Koga shook his head. " Tails are usually for pups. Adult yokai use hands and cheeks usually." He was baffled by Sesshomaru's lack of knowledge. Was it possible he'd never been scent-marked by Inukimi before? It seemed crazy, but…

Sesshomaru was more confused than ever. Cheeks? He could understand hands, but that seemed like such a weird place to put them!

He saw her confusion and got that shit-eating-grin once more. "You seem… confused. Did you need a demonstration, Sesshomaru?"

The Daiyokai snarled, " No." crossing her arms and huffing. Her tail flicking in irritation underneath the chairs as she peeked at him out of the corner of her eye.

"All right then." He hummed, going on.

And as much as Sesshomaru hated to admit it, there was a lot he didn't know about wolves. And a lot she didn't know about herself. She felt… a mixture of embarrassment and confusion. This was not what she'd been taught at all. As a Daiyokai, he was expected to be cool, calm. Unemotional. A blank slate.

To keep that yokai of hers under wraps at all costs.

But according to Koga, this was incorrect.

According to him, this secret language of touch, smells, and facial expression was the foundation for wolf communication. And the yokai knew this language far better than any other.

"Is there any way I can suppress this?" She murmured, and the wolf paused. " It seems to me you've been doing that for too long. I suggest you letting her take little steps. The urges will be less strong if you give her some slack."

"It is her fault I am in this predicament in the first place." Sesshomaru snarled and her tail bristled slightly. Not liking the idea of giving his yokai even an inch of control. Or of giving in to these sickening urges.

Koga almost rolled his eyes. " Do you even remember the last time you took your yokai form, just to enjoy it? Not because your beast forced you to?"

Sesshomaru murmured, "That's hardly relevant." and drank some more tea.

_This does seem to be helping somehow. The aches are fading._

It had been many, many years. She just usually let those needs pile up until her yokai all but ripped out of her.

"The transformation you've been through is pretty damn rare, even among Daiyokai. I think it might have been partially triggered by how much you've been pushing your instincts away, Sesshomaru." Koga offered, quietly. He didn't want to come off as lecturing.

Sesshomaru's lip lifted slightly in anger, her nose wrinkling for a bit. She wanted to spit a retort, but she couldn't exactly deny his words either.

"It's not you versus your yokai." Koga explained, making two fists and pressing his knuckles together. " You and your yokai are two sides of the same coin. One is more logical, one is more emotional. But they are both you. And the more you push her away, the stronger the urges will be, and the less control you will have over her." He explained quietly.

"Especially now that you are a dame. Her goal is to keep me around, and to keep the pup safe and healthy. She will not care about anything else."

Sesshomaru's eyes went back to the tea. And he could tell from the set of her shoulders and the look in those beautiful golden eyes that she was… unhappy. Despairing.

Koga leaned forward for just a second- then snapped his head back, rubbing the back of his neck and giving a tiny irritated growl. God damn! It was so hard to not touch her.

"If it makes you feel any better. Getting a Daiyokai upgrade has been interesting for me, too." He muttered. His right hand clenching and unclenching under the table. It was very, very difficult. Especially when her yokai was crying out for comfort from him.

She looked at him in surprise. Seeing the way her was tense in his shoulders and a certain kind of weariness in his blue eyes that she hadn't seen before. He looked… drained.

"What were you going to do, just now?" Sesshomaru asked, her yellow eyes wary.

"Don't worry about it." Koga stood and stretched, shaking out his tail a little as well as the blush on his cheeks. He was just gonna nuzzle her again, scent-mark her again, like he had this morning.

But there was a small, terrible part of his yokai that just wanted to pick her up, fling her onto the bed, and make her scream like he had just a few days ago. He wished that his yokai's memories of those three days wasn't coming back, but it was.

But the more he remembered, the more he wanted her. Needed her.

And dreaded the moment that she would give him that icy stare and return to the Palace to get rid of his pup. To disappear from his life forever.

" I'm gonna go check in with the pack. You up for a run later, or are you still feeling a bit off?" He asked, and she flicked her tail a few times before saying, " I should be perfectly well by the evening." And nodding almost to herself.

"Good. If you wanna make another cup, there's a little extra on top of the storage. I should be back in like an hour or two." He said, lingering in the doorway for a moment. His gaze on her and his eyes, usually ice, somehow… softer. Like a summer sky.

Her tail poofed slightly in irritation.

"What."

Koga crossed one of his ankles over the other, leaning against the door with his arms crossed.

"Admiring. There's a Foo-Dog in my room who is pure starlight made flesh."

Sesshomaru growled and went to give chase. But Koga was gone in a burst of wind and a low chuckle.

Koga hit the brakes at the entrance to the tunnels, skidding to a halt next to a group of the males.

"Oi! Head count. How many of you bastards are having pups this season? I gotta know how much I gotta stock up. And… don't act like you don't know, Zuri. I know you're always in everyone's business." Koga added, sitting down next to them with his legs crossed.

Zuri, a dark grey wolf, spluttered a little while his friends laughed.

"Well, Yuki and Makota are in the middle of a big fight right now, and Zen and Tsuki are taking a break from that huge litter they had last year, so that should be about twenty-two, unless the twins decide to take mates this year."

Koga nodded, resting his chin on the back of his hand. His claws a glittering curve as he thought.

"Mm. And what about you and Haru?"

The grey wolf blushed, his friends nudging him and whispering, " Ooh, he's calling you out." Under his breath.

"We're ah… I dunno. I don't think we're ready yet." He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. " I mean, she's an artic wolf. I think she wants us to travel a bit before settling."

Koga reached over, ruffling his hair. " No worries. Let me know when you know. I'd be sad to lose my favorite source of information, though."

As he chatted, he felt a pup trying to sneak into his lap and looked around.

A very exasperated wolf- mom crouched down, " Prince Koga, I'm so sorry, he likes to wander-" and he glanced up. She was one of the seamstress wolves; Kira. They were busy as hell this time of year- making traps for the yokai and preparing for all the summer festivities.

"S' all right. I can watch him for a bit, if you're busy out here." He offered, smirking slightly when the brown pup found his little arm band and snuck his teeth around it, trying to pull it off Koga's arm.

"A-are you sure? Maybe just for an hour?" She said, reluctantly. "He's a little…"

She trailed off as his little growls were heard. Getting mad and pulling back harder, almost falling out of Koga's lap in the process. Koga laughed a bit and pulled his wrist back, starting a game of tug-of-war. " Fiesty. Yeah huh. I'll watch him. No worries. Just don't disappear on me when I gotta give him back all right?"

She nodded and gave him a grateful look, reaching out to give him a touch as well.

He deftly avoided the hand, giving her an apologetic look.

"Sorry. I'm not sure how Sesshomaru would react." Koga wagged his tail apologetically.

_Best to avoid that for a little while. _Koga thought. Sesshomaru's yokai seemed like the possessive type and he didn't need her running around slicing up his female's faces.

She blinked and pulled her hand back, " Oh! Right, I'm sorry Koga, I forgot…" before heading off to where the others were currently working outside of the dens.

"Get it. Get it." He whispered, leaning over and tugging back against the pup's grip.

Smirking when the pup pulled harder, growling and shaking his head.

He then turned when a light grey wolf murmured, " Koga, you know, if she leaves, you won't be able to take another mate. Ever. We mate for life."

Koga didn't meet his gaze, still playing with the pup. " Yeah, yeah. I know." The only exceptions were when a mate died, like how Ayame had. As long as Sesshomaru was alive somewhere, he could never have another mate.

He'd probably have to give his position up to someone else in the tribe.

"What are you gonna do?"

Koga snared a little, the fur on his tail bristling slightly. " I dunno, all right? She knows how we work. And I'm not gonna force her to stay here. Not like I could, anyway." He muttered. Hell, he was pretty sure she'd wanted to fight him to the death that very first day, after her heat.

But strangely, he wasn't really worried about Sesshomaru taking another mate and killing him off. Despite being a Daiyokai prince, Sesshomaru didn't seem like the type to sleep around. Koga was on his very best behavior with her because he wanted to win her.

Wanted her to be his, as much as he was already hers.

_You're gonna be my woman. _

_Once you've been with someone like me, you'll never go back to scraps again!_

He smirked. If he said things like that to Sesshomaru, he could kiss his sorry ass goodbye. But… that didn't mean that he didn't feel any connection to her. Hell, he felt…

He **_felt_** like hers. Her mate. Her wolf.

It'd not even been twenty four hours, and he would gladly die for her. Happily.

_Fuck. This mark must be stronger than I thought. _

Koga chuckled once, a hand resting on his armor. And over that crescent moon branded on his skin. Blinking in surprise as he felt the pup rip his wristband in half. "Awe. Shit."

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As Koga gathered information, Sesshomaru wrote a letter to Inukimi.

It was… difficult. But it was still better than going to the Palace and facing her.

In her mind's eye, she saw those glittering claws.

_She will relieve me of the pup without hesitation. Better to stay here and give it a painless death than have it ripped from this world by her claws. _

She was going to be furious… but, her anger would be quenched as long as Sesshomaru emphasized the fact that this was all a temporary thing.

That she wasn't carrying the damn thing to term.

That her position was assured.

She'd be disappointed that Sesshomaru would be reverting back to his male form after this, though. In fact, she'd probably be pressuring him more than ever to settle down with one of the other Foo-Dog relations.

Sesshomaru couldn't think of a single Foo-Dog alive he'd want to take as a mate. They weren't weak just in body- that was something, although detestable, Sesshomaru could probably tolerate.

They were weak-minded. Cowardly. Easily manipulated by Inukimi and her minions. They had about as much spine as a puddle of water.

If any of them had Inu No Taisho's spine perhaps Sesshomaru would have reconsidered.

_This abomination feels stronger than they do, and it barely even exists._

She thought sarcastically, one arm resting across her abdomen.

Sighing and placing the quill in between her teeth for a moment before continuing to write.

_Don't. Do not linger on it. Do not think of it. _

_And most importantly, do not form any sort of attachment. Fool. _

Sesshomaru chided herself, writing faster and pressing the quill in hard. That would lead down a road she didn't even want to think about.

Her thoughts trailed to Inuyasha in that human village. Rin and Kagome were both learning under Kaede. And the last time Sesshomaru had passed by the village, he'd caught an interesting scent. Inuyasha had one human child- presumably, conceived on those nights when he became human.

But there was the smell of a hanyou child in that village the last time he'd passed. Very faint, but there.

How unfair it was. No one had hauled in the hanyou and forced him to marry a Foo-Dog he barely knew. No one was wringing their hands with anticipation for the day he impregnated that Ningen human woman.

Same for Koga. He wasn't a part of the four main rulers; hell, he could probably get away with pairing with a damn human. Even now that he was a Daiyokai. Wolves operated outside of the royal families and all their obligations.

Sesshomaru understood why, but in a strange way, the Foo-Dog was slightly envious as well. To have the luxury of marrying for love, to have your actions be only your own, not pushed and pressed by the hands of others… Sesshomaru would never have that luxury.

She put the quill in its inkwell and a soft pained whimper escaped her lips. How could this have gone so wrong? Oh, if only she'd made it to that stupid outpost.

_If only none of this had happened. _

The Foo-Dog stared into the fire, her yellow eyes reflecting the undulating, writhing mass of flames. She wanted to feel nothing; nothing except anger. That was a familiar, comforting emotion. But this body… it was causing her to feel twinges of other quite uncomfortable emotions.

Like right now. Was it… anxiety? Stress? She wasn't sure, only that she didn't like it.

But didn't seem able to crush it down, like she usually did with all emotions, either.

_It hurts…_

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Koga winced a little from Sesshomaru's mark, rubbing it with his palm. Feeling his mate's pain and distress.

The other wolves looked up at him in surprise, and he smiled, slipping the pup over his shoulder.

"I'll be right back. I think I forgot something."

Koga knocked before entering. Sesshomaru looked as cool and collected as usual, but there was a tinge of redness to her eyes. He supposed he would feel the same way if he was trapped in her situation.

But then again… if it'd been Koga, he'd probably be quivering with excitement carrying Sesshomaru's pups.

"Hey. Sorry- just needed to check my stocks really quick." Koga said lightly, moving the pup a bit as he walked past. Sesshomaru murmured, " Oh." Her eyes following both him and the pup with a mix of suspicion and curiosity.

Sesshomaru had never really interacted with pups before. Mother had not really approved of him interacting with anyone she deemed less worthy of his presence. And that had included almost everyone, aside from his wretched Foo-Dog cousins, who were his own age.

Sure, he'd interacted with yokai pups in a vague, distant sense. But this was about as close as he ever got to one.

Koga dug round in his drawers, checking the little markings on the inside that showed how many ounces of each herb he had. The pup latched on to his fluffy shoulder pad, trying to rip it free of his armor.

"Why are you carrying a pup?"

Koga huffed, " Mom's a bit overwhelmed. The other males and I try to give 'em breaks when he can, if we're available. Helps with the cohesion of the pack."

There was a small pause as Sesshomaru considered this. Koga went back to checking his stores.

"Why does it have grey eyes?"

Sesshomaru asked. Koga leaned out from the little second room, "The pup?"

And the Foo-Dog nodded.

"He's only a yearling. You're born with blue eyes, then they fade to grey, then yellow. Doesn't follow over to your human form usually. That's one way Foo-Dogs and wolves are different." Koga sighed, closing a drawer and flicking his tail a few times. Yep, they definitely needed to stock up. But at least he had enough for Sesshomaru and about…. Ten other females, for now.

The market was next weekend, anyway. Shouldn't be a problem.

When he came back inside, he said quietly, "Are you okay?" leaning a little on the table. Trying to give the Foo-Dog some space… but also trying to satisfy his yokai's need to be close to her. Especially when she was hurting.

"I am perfectly fine." Sesshomaru said icily, her eyes still on the pup. It seemed to notice her gaze and turned in Koga's arms, smiling up at her and wagging its tail. It was a dark brown, with a cream-colored belly and streaks of black along the spine. He had big, soft brown eyes, thick eyelashes, and a small black nose.

Very cute.

"Was this one a runt?"

Koga blinked. " No. He's normal sized for his age. A bit on the fat side, actually." Rubbing the pup's belly affectionately and earning a soft growl.

"You can let him smell you, if you'd like. He seems to like you."

Sesshomaru made a face, her nose wrinkling slightly. And he was sure she'd say no. But to Koga's surprise she reached out, introducing two knuckles of her fingers to the pup. He sniffed them eagerly, and gave them a soft lick. Causing the Foo-Dog to pull them back in surprise.

"Heh. Well. Guess I shouldn't be surprised pups like you. You've been with that ningen child for so long after all." Koga mused, sitting up a little more. Holding tight to the pup, who was trying to squirm over to Sesshomaru, Koga gave a tiny growl of warning.

The growl sharpening in intensity when the pup writhed harder.

"I already said no." Koga lifted a lip as he stared down at the pup. The wolf pup went quiet, licking Koga's chin apologetically. The black wolf's expression softening once more and nuzzling the pups' head in return to let him know he wasn't angry.

Sesshomaru tilted her head. "What did it want?" and Koga rolled his eyes. " He wants to be with you. But I know you wouldn't appreciate that. So I told him no."

And Sesshomaru looked at the pup with surprise and no small degree of amusement.

"I would probably snap him like a chicken bone." Sesshomaru murmured, quietly. "He seems so fragile." The black paw pads on his feet were hardly larger than beans. Everything about him was so tiny.

Koga laughed softly, " Mm. Well, you've obviously never seen a newborn before. They're even smaller. Even I'm nervous holding them; I feel like I'm gonna accidentally hurt em."

He paused, then added, " I know yer aware of how the marks work, Sesshomaru. I'm always here if you need me." Getting a little glare from the Foo-Dog. Yes. Sesshomaru knew how they worked all too well.

It was yet another factor that made Sesshomaru exceedingly uncomfortable. Koga would be able to feel any distress or pain or weakness. It made him able to support his mate better. But to Sesshomaru, it felt like a violation.

No one was supposed to be able to tell how she felt.

No one was supposed to get past her mask.

It made her so uncomfortable; knowing he'd probably felt that rush of emotion she'd had a minute ago. She was also feeling more weird things watching him carry a pup around like that. Watching it lick his face and neck and seeing the way he returned those nuzzles with his own.

They had such easy soft body language.

It was clear he'd been a father once. So gentle and comfortable around that pup. It made her feel warm and faintly tingly. Some foreign instinct stirring in her belly and chest.

She crossed an arm over her abdomen. And tried to stop the thought, but;

_He would not be a terrible father. _

Sesshomaru pushed the thought out of her mind hastily.

_Don't be an imbecile Sesshomaru. You know the path this leads to._

But the feelings lingered.

"We'll take our leave. You still up for tonight?" The wolf asked, and Sesshomaru nodded, waving him off with a hand. Eager for him and that pup to be gone so she could think straight.

Yet even when he was gone the feelings were still there. Sesshomaru had felt it that very first time he'd resurrected Rin… and again, when she'd been saved. Her small, bright eyes opening to the world once more.

Another reason he'd left her behind. They were becoming too close… and she had a target on her back. If she lived among the stink of humans, she would be infinitely safer than travelling with him.

Even though it was all she wanted in the entire world.

_Damn vile wolf. This is all his fault, all of it._

Sesshomaru cursed.

Feeling better to blame him than acknowledge the feelings coming from her.

Making herself another cup of tea and grabbing a random book off the shelf. Piling as many pelts as she could around her and reading in her new 'bed'. Ignoring the smell of wolf everywhere and most importantly, ignoring that lingering soft feeling that the stupid wolf had put inside her.

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Sesshomaru fell in with the pack and their routines fairly easily. The hunts and border runs in the mornings and evenings. The smells of the tunnels and the smells of the pack members. Soon, she was able to identify almost all of them by scent, except for the pups who all kind of smelled the same. Like milk and bread.

It had been three weeks since she'd arrived.

The thing in her belly was growing nicely. At first, she'd mildly hoped for some kind of miscarriage- but it was strong, like them, and wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

It was warm, like Koga. That spot in her abdomen warmer than the rest of her body by a degree or so.

Once, they'd been attacked by the birds of paradise. But luckily Koga had a plan in place to deal with the flying bastards, and they had won by early afternoon. Celebrating with a huge barbeque and of course, drinking and chatting.

They had many stories. Stories of battle, but also mythical stories- like the creation of the world and the gods and how yokai and Daiyokai were made. She was surprised by the similarities the Foo-Dog myths and the wolf myths shared.

Sesshomaru hated to admit it, but she was enjoying her time here. It was much better than the Palace, anyhow.

Only occasional strategy meetings, and Sesshomaru was never forced to attend.

But after going to one of them out of curiosity, they found her maps, and knowledge of the terrain outside their borders, invaluable. So, Koga did try to nudge her to attend… when he thought he wouldn't get his head bitten off.

She got plenty of fresh air, got to hunt whenever she wished. Koga was slowly beginning to trust her, letting her wander off on her own when she needed time alone.

It was in some ways very similar to her time traveling.

She sent the note with a bird off to Inukimi, but received no reply; not that she expected any.

The wolf tribe didn't exactly have an address. It was nighttime now; the wolves were busy by the campfires outside, drinking and feasting after a successful few days of hunting. Their food stores were getting full; they'd probably be able to get through the winter just fine.

A good of a reason as any to celebrate.

"Come on, it'll be fun." He said, smirking a little at her. Sesshomaru shook her head once more.

"No. I will feel ridiculous."

Koga laughed, his tail flicking back and forth. " Nah, we'll all be doing it with you. And I bet you have a great voice."

"Ridiculous." She snarled, her tail bristling a bit. It was another beautiful night- a bit cold, but they were close by one of the many fires. Dinner was over, and the wolves were into drinks- and tonight, was one of the howling nights.

They had very strange traditions. Apparently, the howl would start in about ten or so minutes. And go until they got bored, or started a howling contest with the other tribes.

"Besides, Foo-Dogs do not howl. It's unbecoming." Sesshomaru added, sitting criss-cross and stroking her tail as she did when she was uncomfortable or nervous.

The black wolf gave her a long, amused stare. His blue eyes particularly striking in the low light of the fire. She glanced at them, felt an odd twinge between her legs, and looked away again.

"That is so not true. I remember the Inu No Taisho howling many times. Hell- we got into a howling contest with him, once. It was fun." Koga said, running a hand over his ponytail and chuckling lowly to himself. His cheeks a bit pink from sake. But he hadn't had nearly as much as the other wolves.

Sesshomaru flushed a little. Okay, she'd known that already. She remembered the sound of her father's howl; a low, eerie sound that sent goosebumps up your spine and your hair on end.

All the sudden, one wolf after another started taking on their demon form. Pushing and prodding their friends to do the same. Koga laughed softly and stood, shaking himself out from head to toe before transforming in a burst of blue light.

He was bigger than she remembered. Maybe… the influence of being a Daiyokai? A very handsome, and very large, black wolf. With deep blue markings along his cheek fur, and along all four ankles. Koga leaned down, nudging Sesshomaru with a whine.

His muzzle easily big enough to fit all of her inside. His fur was very soft, and his whiskers tickled her skin as he nuzzled her shoulder and torso.

"Fine. But I am not howling. You cannot make me." The Foo-Dog growled, pushing away his big, dumb muzzle. Ignoring the wag of a gigantic black tail.

She dusted herself off. Huffed, backing up a bit to make sure there was enough room before transforming. And transformed herself. Her eyes filling with red, while her yellow eyes turned a deep blue.

One of the other males started first- he had a nice, light baritone voice. He was joined soon enough by a few females, a few more males-

And it passed from one to the other in the pack like a river. Before she could even properly track it, everyone was howling. Heads tilted back and ears softly folded. Illuminated only by the lights of the fire, and the crescent moon that hung above them.

Sesshomaru was shivering slightly. She'd long since forgotten the sound. So many voices, but the tone a sound that had never spoken a language. Sweet and bitter and terrifying and wonderful all at the same time. A sound that reminded her of the deepest, darkest shadows in a forest. The glittering of a winter lake… just thin enough to promise a quick death.

The beauty and terror of their world.

Her fur was puffed, and goosebumps were racing up and down her frame. This sound…

She turned her head to look at Koga. His voice was.. incredible. Low and strong and stirring the urge in her to join him. No matter how much her more logical side was stifling her.

Inuyasha's ears twitched. Far off in the human village, but unfortunately, close enough to hear the racket from the wolf demon tribe.

Waking a hanyou who had just barely started to drift off to sleep. Cross-legged in front of the door to his home( which, thankfully, was on the edge of the village).

"Damn _wolves_." He stood, leaning around the edge of the house and shouting, " Koga!"

At the top of his lungs.

Kagome, awoken from a deep sleep, snarled, "Inuyasha-" slipping out of bed to get her husband to stop yelling. She could just barely hear the wolves, but they were currently causing far less of a racket than Inuyasha.

He shook a fist in the general direction of the wolf tribe, unaware of the danger from his wife.

"Koga, you bastard! Shut the fuck up!"

But of course, that only encouraged the wolf to howl louder. In the meantime, Kagome snarled, "Sit, boy!" and Inuyasha yelped as he was thrown to the ground. Snarling and cursing the wolf as he got back up, rubbing his little white ears to try and get rid of the noise.

Only to have them perk up in surprise again when he heard another voice join the wolves.

A voice that sounded like …

_Sesshomaru?_

Inuyasha made a face.

_Okay, now I know I'm dreaming. _The stick up Sesshomaru's butt was far too large for him to ever do something as lowly as howl. Least of all with Koga's pack.

Still, though. Inuyasha's velvet silver ears gave a few more twitches. It did sound an awful lot like him.

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Sesshomaru couldn't help herself.

She promised that she wouldn't and bit back a howl growing in her gut for a long time. But… there was something in her that demanded it be set free. And Koga had said that giving her yokai a little slack might help things.

This was a far better option than any of the other disgusting urges her yokai had. At least this had nothing to do with Koga.

Her voice was clear and high, filled with the sounds of ice and snow. And strong like Koga's. All other howls stopped for just a moment to listen. A hundred yellow and grey eyes looking at her with newfound respect and wonder.

Her song was so very beautiful; in the way that made your chest ache for more. A sound that tugged at the heartstrings and brought tears to your eyes, even if you were too young to understand why.

Sesshomaru grew embarrassed when she realized it, tucking her ears.

_Is- did I-?_

Koga nuzzled her,

_It's beautiful. They wanted to listen._

and Sesshomaru was too startled to even growl. She could hear him !

She could hear his voice in her head, clear as a bell. Koga started the howl again, and Sesshomaru joined in. Together, they sounded stronger. Her voice lacing with his like a pure blue ribbon to Koga's low, velvet black voice. Soon, the clan from the east started up their own song.

And they sang until their throats were sore. But Sesshomaru didn't mind. They half-stumbled back to bed sometime around one am, exhausted but elated at the same time.

"I thin we beat em. It was close though. We'll probably have another session on the full moon." Koga hummed, his black tail flicking in long, low rhythm as he opened the door to their den, not even bothering to light the lamp.

"I still do not understand why it matters." Sesshomaru murmured, but her voice was gentle, not condescending.

Koga chuckled, " It's about honor. And speaking of honor- damn. You did your ancestors proud. Never heard a voice like that in a long time."

Their eyes had long since adjusted to the dark. Everything had a soft silvery hue; the pelts, the outline of the beds, the stone fireplace.

Sesshomaru didn't say anything, but he could feel pride in her chest via his mark. Koga helped her into bed, making sure she'd have enough pelts for the night and sniffing them to make sure they were still clean. They smelled of her now, and he was grateful. She probably felt relieved to have at least one space in the tribe that smelled only of her.

"G'night." He whispered, going in to scent-mark her. It was the one thing Sesshomaru had forced herself to allow. However, thanks to the low light he missed the mark just a bit. The corner of his mouth brushing her lips lightly as he went to nuzzle her cheek.

He felt a little shiver all over. His tail puffing out.

"Ah! Sorry." He chuckled nervously, and she gave a little snort. " Aren't you supposed to be able to see in the dark?"

He pouted. " Look, you're face is in a shadow okay?" Lingering close by her face, unable to pull back just yet. He could feel her warm sweet breath. And he could see the slight gleam from the one yellow eye that had some light on it.

"Mm hmm."

Koga was crouched on his haunches; his weight concentrated in his toes. His tail flicking and writhing underneath him as he weighed the odds. He didn't want to get scratched, but…

Koga kissed Sesshomaru. So lightly and sweetly she almost wondered if she'd imagined it.

"Koga?" Her hand went out, gently touching his cheek. He almost flinched- worried she'd scratch him like usual for pushing her. But something was different between the two of them tonight, he could tell.

He could feel her little trembles again. Suddenly very aware of how alone they were. A boy and a girl, alone in the dark.

There was a tinge of something in the air. A tension.

She could faintly see him; the blue of his eyes, the dark slivers of his hair. The silver curve of his ponytail. Felt the warmth of his hand when it snuck onto her cheek.

And this time when he kissed her, she kissed back. The delicate warm press, accented with the slightest nip to her lower lip. The sweet tug and release of fang. Sesshomaru had been kissed before; but not like this.

There was something in them. A tenderness. A kindness that she had not experienced before. When he kissed, his whole body seemed to lean into it. And she could feel the hands on either side of her face were so gentle.

It almost hurt.

There were all kinds of kisses. Little, light, fluttery ones. Deep, forceful, long ones that left her shivering. She could feel his frame starting to move bit by bit. The press of his arm close by her shoulder and the darkness of his shoulders above her.

His body was heavy on her little frame. But heavy in a nice way. Warm.

Her claws wandered. _Was he always this size?_ Tracing his biceps, down his ribs. One hand tangling in his hair while the other lingered around his waist. There was a nice taper to his form; large shoulders, but small, severe waist.

His fangs were on her neck now, but that was all right. Sucking gently. Her tail curled faintly in the pelts. That was going to leave a mark,she could tell.

She amused herself by nibbling at his ear. Earning some sort of low growl/purr that she could feel all the way through his frame. Licking his sharpening fangs and swallowing down that intense urge.

_Careful. Be gentle with her, or you will lose her. _

Koga reminded himself. Biting back the urge to just fuck her mercilessly. There would be time for roughness later, when she trusted him a bit more.

_Pretend she's a human. Fragile as glass._

His claws were in her clothes. When had that happened? Tracing along her back, exploring her as well. Leaving tingling little trails that healed the minute Koga's claws marred the skin. Ah, god , they felt good. She could feel herself arching a bit when they got to her lower back. The shivering getting more intense, but pairing with a weird heat coiling low inside her.

_Don't. You'll get attached, fool._

Some tiny voice said inside her. But she felt too far gone already.

She could tell Koga was being gentle, holding back; and Sesshomaru appreciated it. He was shifting his weight again. And very gently, went to move one of her legs out of the way.

She tensed at first, resisting him.

Scared.

He seemed unmoved; still kissing her tenderly on the neck and shoulder. Claws still wandering.

_Let me in. _

_You're mine, as much as I'm yours, Foo-Dog. _

_And you know it. _

His claws finding their way onto her thigh. One thumb on her inner thigh and the rest of the fingers around the outside. Warm as they moved, claws ripping through her thin clothes. Massaging until he felt those muscles release, her leg slowly falling off to one side.

Pressing his hips tight to hers.

Letting her feel exactly how much he needed her.

Sesshomaru gasped in surprise; the damn wolf was lined up so perfectly. She could feel the pulse of him tight against her, separated only by a few layers of cloth. A promise of what was to come.

And when he felt the way her thighs squeezed his body, he knew he'd already won. Koga's mouth was suddenly on one of her breasts; teasing it's softness into an aching hard, point. His claws trailing down her stomach and abdomen, now.

"Koga-" She whispered heatedly. Panting a bit now.

He looked up. She was perfection; yellow eyes burning under lowered, thick eyelashes. Pert lips soft and glittering faintly. The tip of a deadly fang barely visible in the pink cavern of a mouth.

_Damn dog… I want to fuck you until you scream for mercy. _

Koga thought, goosebumps spreading on his caramel skin. Forcing that instinct down once more.

His hand paused tenderly inside the cradle of her hips, and laying flat over that spot of warmth. Koga smirked when he felt her reaction; tense, first. Then slowly melting. Her chin on his shoulder as she panted and shivered, helpless as his thumb stroked the area affectionately.

"My pup. You're carrying it so well."

He whispered as he shifted from one nipple to the other. Feeling her cradling his head with her claws and shaking.

_His pup._

_This wolf, I... I can feel that he loves me. But how can that be?_

Sesshomaru thought in a daze. She'd been nothing but cruel- a terror to be around. She had done nothing to earn his affection(at least, in her mind).

Koga made his way down her chest and belly and abdomen with ease, and leaving nips and bites and bruises in his wake.

Smirking and purring when he felt her little jolts. The way she was stifling little mewls and sighs of pleasure as best she could. But he could still hear them.

She was ready for him; had been for some time. He could tell by her smell.

So he was going to take some time and enjoy her.

Thighs were next. And the skin of her inner thighs was so lovely and soft. He pressed kisses carefully, from knee to groin. Sucking two fingers from his other hand and so gently, testing the waters between her legs.

Gasping in surprise when his finger slipped up into her with so much ease, and feeling her exhale sharply.

She was as slick as a river. His fingers were wet to the knuckle.

"Holy shit, Sesshomaru." He whispered, and she blushed, "Sorry! I-" and he managed to shush her, nearly shaking from amusement. Of course the lord of the West would feel the need to apologize for that.

He warmed her up. Working both fingers and tongue until she was in a lather; panting, kneading. Her thighs trembling and her muscles squeezing his fingers, desperately.

They helped each other out of their clothes; the material making soft sounds as it fell to the floor. At least they'd had the sense to get rid of the armor earlier. Koga made sure to give Sesshomaru lots of gentle reassuring kisses during this time, as she was still prone to fits of shaking.

"Shh, Shh. Come here." And of course, a gentle hug. Rubbing her back until he felt her calm. Her head tucked on his shoulder and taking long deep breaths of his smell.

_Koga. My wolf. _

_He is not going to hurt me._

Still shocked that she wanted him.

Wanted this.

Wanted this wolf cur as a mate.

But then again… no one had ever bothered to even court Sesshomaru in the way he had. And he could tell how the wolf felt every time he touched her.

They laid back down. She was pure moonlight, and they couldn't have been more different.

_Oh, he's so warm. _

_And fuzzy._

She thought, her claws hooked in his shoulders. His mouth was next to her ear, his breath hot on her skin. " You know what happens next. I want you to take a deep breath when I say so, and then let it out. Okay?"

She nodded, tucking her head to his neck and closing her eyes tightly.

"Okay. Breathe in." She started to, her breath hitching when she felt him. Sesshomaru's intake of breath turning into a long, shakey gasp. Her head tilting back slowly and her claws sinking into tanned flesh as she felt him sliding all the way up inside her. That strange pleasurable, painful stretch.

"And out. Perfect." He whispered in her ear, giving her a reassuring nip on the neck followed by a kiss. His heat. Oh, god, she could feel his heartbeat inside her.

"Now tell me… are you ever going to stop shaking?" He murmured after their kiss. His blue eyes soft as they looked into hers. She swallowed and after a moment, whispered, " I don't know." Tucking her head to his neck once more and nuzzling here for a moment.

Gasping when he rolled his hips and felt her body move with his. Her body seeming to have a memory of all of this; bucking in time with him perfectly.

"Koga!" She scolded, and he looked at her cheekily. Licking his lips.

"Oops."

Moving to brace his arms underneath her. Sesshomaru tilted her head curiously as he moved them both, just a little. Then… barely had time to grab his shoulders as he started up an absolutely brutal pace.

She didn't remember much about the rest of the night in detail. Mostly, she just remembered how it ended. They were in a rather curious position. Her in his lap, chest to chest. Their tails wrapped in one long braid of black and white beside them.

She was panting and dry-mouthed, having finished another long cry. Sesshomaru wasn't as loud as Ayame, and every sound he got from her he cherished deeply. He whispered something in her ear, and she nodded. Her skin was glittering with sweat, and her usually immaculate hair was frazzled. The silver rivers curling from heat and moisture.

His arms were laced around her and that hair. The hair caught slightly above his arm, causing an adorable little wave of hair to cascade over his tanned arm before being tucked back underneath. Pinned in place.

Just like her.

The wolf bucked up into her a few more times, grazing her neck with his teeth. Enjoying the feeling of her sliding against him and the smell of her sweat and arousal. Then, tensing a bit and biting down on her neck, gently.

She cried out again, softly. Her arms wrapped tight around Koga's back- one across his shoulders and the other at his waist.

The combination of his seed warming her, and the bite to her neck, too much for her. And Koga felt her tighten up all around him once more. The wolf shuddered, feeling a strange tingle in his jaw and the urge to bite down once more.

Too lost in his instincts to question it, he did. His claws stroking her back gently. Sesshomaru went still for a moment, feeling a strange heat trickling from his teeth all the way through her body like fire.

Koga's venom lacing through her veins and claiming her from the inside out.

The sensation was gone in a moment though.

But on her abdomen, a bruise appeared, solidified; a beautiful, twisting wolf.

Koga's mark.

He wrinkled his nose slightly, swallowing the strange bitter flavor down. Kissing each other, nuzzling. Panting, and coming down from their highs. When she was ready, he very gently pulled out, cleaned them both.

Pausing for a moment when he saw a shadow on her abdomen.

_Odd. _

But when he ran a hand across it, she just shivered.

He sighed, _I'll figure it out in the morning._

and carried her to the larger bed.

They both collapsed into it in relief. Sesshomaru rolled close, tucking her head to his chest once more and folding her arms tight against herself. Koga purred a little and wrapped his arms around her once more. Tucking a pelt over her to keep her warm.

"How long have you felt this way about me." Sesshomaru asked, very quietly. Sleep was pulling at her strongly, but she still wanted at least a few answers.

It was odd, though. She was having a hard time thinking straight. Her mind was full of clouds.

Koga blinked. Tucking some hair from her face behind a long, pointed ear. Kissing her so sweetly she almost felt like she should cry. Undeserving of such affection.

" A long time. But you … were always… out of… my league." He murmured between kisses. She couldn't help but grin ever so slightly. A fang showing in the darkness.

"And now?"

The wolf smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead sleepily. " I think we both know you're still way out of my league, Miss Lord of the West, Miss killing perfection."

Sesshomaru seemed satisfied with that answer. Snuggling tighter into him and letting out a long satisfied sigh.

She stank of wolf.

She'd mated a wolf.

And strangely, she didn't really regret it all that much.

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Read and review please! Thanks !


	4. Chapter 4

Koga woke first- gently stretching his arms and legs in an attempt to not wake up his mate. As his muscles stretched, he went in for a big yawn as well, his little pink tongue curling.

Pausing mid-yawn when he felt Sesshomaru's fingers in his lips.

" 'Eh'Ho 'aru?"

Examining his pointed teeth with much interest. His canines (bottom, and top)were by far the largest teeth in his mouth; their tips overlapping his gums slightly when his mouth was closed. But the others were no less sharp- sort of leaf-shaped. Fattest in the middle, beautifully tapered to dangerous points at the ends. And very prettily white against his black gums.

"You have excellent teeth." She said mildly, letting his lips fall back to their usual place. She wasn't jealous!

But… Sesshomaru's teeth were smaller, finer. A little bit more human. Seemed that Koga's Daiyokai blood was bringing over more wolfish traits to his human form. She was mildly impressed he'd managed to not rip off her bottom lip considering how much they'd been kissing yesterday.

Koga rubbed his cheek a little, " Uh, thanks." Then smirked at the Foo-Dog.

It was odd… she could feel his emotions today much more clearly than usual. Perhaps, that was normal, after mating a marked one? She'd have to ask him about it later.

It took a second for her to figure out why he was grinning. When she did, a faint blush snuck up her pointed ears.

"Don't you dare, wolf."

"Let the records show that The Lord of the West, the great and terrible, had sex with a vile wolf mongrel. And thoroughly enjoyed herself." He smirked, tail curling in the air. Looking as satisfied as a kitten with a bowl of cream.

Sesshomaru went scarlet. She raised a clawed hand, " You see these claws, wolf? Take a good look. My claws are the last thing you will ever see!" And tackled him onto the ground. It was funny though- right when she was about to punch her claws through his skull, her hand stopped. About an inch or so from his face.

Koga was smirking like the devil. He leaned up, nuzzling her palm as she stared at her frozen arm in quiet confusion and anger.

"I already told you, Sesshomaru. Your yokai prevents you from dealing a killing blow." He murmured, tilting his head a bit when he saw her jaw clench. He leaned in a bit, lightly sniffing her shoulder and ignoring her growl.

"You shouldn't have moved so fast like that. You're probably still sore." He sniffed again, wrinkling his nose a bit. " And a little pup-sick. I thought you were. Come on." He picked her up and put her back into bed, ignoring her low angry warning-growls. She stopped mid-growl in surprise though, at how easily he moved her.

She was taller, so shouldn't it be-?

Well. Taller, but definitely not as muscular. In this female form she was sort of… lithe and willowy. Slender arms and legs. Koga on the other hand was much more sturdy; his wrists were the size of her biceps.

"I do not need to be coddled. I am perfectly capable of caring for myself-" Sesshomaru snarled, snapping her teeth angrily at the wolf with a metallic click. Koga almost rolled his eyes. Instead, settling for pressing a kiss to the moon on her forehead. Which she accepted grudgingly.

"I know that. I'm not doing it because I don't think you can; I'm doing it because that's my role as your mate. N' it makes me feel good. Okay?" He said, reaching down and slipping on one of those little fur-kilt things. Sesshomaru noted the different color today; a rich black that matched his new tail.

She also noted long, deep scratch marks on his back, and around his hips, and blushed slightly. They were healing as she watched, but…

She touched one of them lightly, feeling the way his skin contracted. "Ah. Jeez, yer hands are fuckin' freezing." He paused when he noted where her claws were. And felt her concern and worry.

"S'all right. I'll be all healed up by tonight." He assured her, and she looked away and lowered her hand. Biting her lip for just a moment. Not liking that he knew she was worried.

"It's a ridiculous notion, you know. Lowering oneself like that without promise of payoff." Sesshomaru muttered, to change the subject.

She wasn't a charity case. Yet…

Koga looked at her in surprise. " It's not lowering to help your mate. It's practical."

"Ridiculous."

She was glad he'd put something on- he was horribly distracting naked.

"Is it?"

He folded a tanned leg onto the bed, leaning in just a little. Sliding his hand from her cheek to the back of her swan-white neck. Pressing just gently enough to let her know he wanted her close.

"Because you trusted me enough to let me mate you. Touch you. Doubt that woulda' happened if I'd been cruel. Or indifferent. Or forced you." He murmured, waiting expectantly for her to move closer. But again, not pushing too much.

Wanting her to come to him for a change.

Slowly, almost fearfully he leaned forward. Tucking her head into the curve of his neck and resting her cheek just under his collarbone. Touch.

She still wasn't used to it, not by a longshot.

But that didn't mean she didn't crave it.

He leaned down to one of her pointed ears. " Thanks for trusting me." He hesitated, then wrapped both arms around her gently. He could feel a slight quiver in her frame. And then all of the sudden, she was leaning into him.

As if scared he'd try to shove her away.

Sesshomaru's eyes were closed so tightly. As if she were hiding from the world. He rested his chin on the part of her sliver hair and sighed, smiling just a little.

_I would die for you, my beautiful dame. _For once, he and his yokai were perfectly content. The act was done , and with it, that awful tension of wanting to take her. Even better- now, she was the one reaching out to him for affection as well( tiny though those efforts were). She smelled of him, as she always should.

_He makes me weak. Weak for this affection._

Sesshomaru thought angrily. Yet she didn't want to pull away. In fact she was sort of… memorizing it. So she could put the memory deep in her mind and take it out when she needed it. For she certainly would when she returned to the Palace.

Alone.

And got rid of this …issue once and for all.

Koga pampered her better than any of her servants ever had. Mostly because the esteemed Lord Sesshomaru did not allow himself to be attended to like that.

The old Sesshomaru would not allow himself to be touched or coddled in such a manner. In fact, he usually sent all his servants away, especially the bodyguards, despite his mothers protests. Sesshomaru hated being touched by a strange yokai.

But.

As much as she hated to admit it, she did not hate being touched by the wolf. And apparently the wolf wouldn't take no for an answer. It was strange… Koga managed to find that perfect balance where Sesshomaru felt cared for, but not pandered to. Or infantilized.

And admittedly…

Being wrapped in warm, clean pelts and propped up in bed was nice. She was given that same blood tea as before that helped the ache in her bones and the slight nausea in the back of the throat. And each of her muscles were gently checked and massaged if they were sore and hurting.

It felt surprisingly… nice.

None of her other partners had cared for her like this. They had been very awkward one-night-stand sort of deals. Where both were quite eager to be dressed and gone early in the morning, before the other woke.

As he explored, he noticed the mark on her abdomen. His mark. The silhouette of a black wolf curled into a perfect circle. A blue, glittering eye the only other color than the black. Its fanged bared as if to say

_Don't touch- this dame is mine_.

It was quite striking on her pale skin.

Sometimes a mark matched the natural Daiyokai markings given at birth- such as Sesshomaru's crescent mark. Other times, it manifested as something entirely different, like with Koga's.

And promptly hid it, continuing the massage down her legs. She didn't need to know just yet, and freak out. Sesshomaru needed to rest and heal.

_Odd location for a mark. _

He thought mildly. Necks, chests, and backs were the most common. But they could sometimes be linked to unique abilities of the marked ones.

By the end, Koga could hear the occasional very quiet, growl-purr of satisfaction from Sesshomaru. And he almost smirked. Good. She was pleased with him, and that made him very happy.

Despite being a Daiyokai, Sesshomaru didn't seem the type to like being waited on hand and foot. And Koga was glad of it; he wasn't a servant, after all. But a little pampering was always good, especially after sex, and **_especially_** especially, if a mate was carrying. It was a long, annoying process to carry a pup.

So it felt only right to make her more comfortable than usual.

"I have to go. I'll be back in about two hours; and I'd like ya to try some meat when I return. I know your stomach has been on edge, but ya can't survive on just the blood tea." Koga said, gently. Wrapping his feet as he always did and slipping his leg warmers over them before leaning into Sesshomaru.

Placing a light kiss to her temple. She growled halfheartedly and murmured, "Fine." And he nodded.

"Good. Be good while I'm gone. No murdering my pack-mates." He murmured, and he could see amusement glint in her yellow eyes.

"No guarantees, little wolf."

Now, it was his turn for amusement. His blue eyes full of mischief as he muttered under his breath, "You didn't seem to think I was so little last night."

The wolf jumped, closing the door to protect himself from Sesshomaru's whip. Damn. He hadn't expected her to be able to wield that, and the cup of tea, at exactly the same time without spilling the damn tea.

He was mildly impressed. Koga panted against the door, smiling to himself, before disappearing in a small whirlwind to the front caves. Immediately swarmed by his packmates, who were curious and happy to smell Sesshomaru on their leader.

Hope was in the air. Sesshomaru, if she was won, would be an invaluable asset to their tribe. And if she carried a wolf pup, or wolfdog, to term, then Koga's position would be assured. Not to mention, everyone could take a deep breath knowing if something happened to Koga, there would be a competent replacement in line.

Sesshomaru snuggled back down into the pelts, her whip disappearing back into her hand.

They were heavy and warm and pressed her down further into the bed/nest. Which felt nice. And oddly, she felt a strange twinge of apprehension at the idea of returning to the Foo-Dog Palace.

Facing her mother's sneers and disappointment and drinking the potion. No doubt it'd be terrible, as would the miscarriage.

It made her feel sick.

Sesshomaru wriggled deeper into the pelts and took another long swig of the tea. She did not want to think about it right now. Did not want to think about her time here ending and worst of all, how desperate Inukimi would become for her to take another mate after this.

Sesshomaru wasn't sure she could kill Koga like that. Have that mark on his chest blacken and fester. Have it consume him with every beat of his heart as he was forced to feel his mate, being pleasured by someone else.

It was a terrible death for any yokai. Better to chop his head off, if she did have to take another.

Yet, something inside her almost made her want to throw up at the idea. Touching another male? Or worse yet, being forced to have some female foo-dog underneath him? Some disgusting weak cousin of his mewling and squirming and fat with his pups?

Sesshomaru wanted to vomit at the very idea.

She paused. Sitting up. Maybe- maybe it wasn't the thoughts that were making her feel sick.

Her mouth was getting unusually watery, and she could feel her gorge rising.

_Uh-oh. _

She put the cup down. Moving carefully out of bed, and searching around for something to vomit in, finally managing to find a adequately sized bowl just before retching. Her body shaking as her belly squeezed out what little contents it had in one wave after another.

Until finally she was left gasping. A foul line of saliva mixed with blood linking the edge of her lips to the bowl. She shivered and broke it with a claw. Sniffing out some clean clothes to wipe her mouth with and shuddering on the floor for a moment. Her thighs tucked under her, and her tail wrapped tight around her thighs.

_Ugh. _

Sesshomaru couldn't even remember the last time it'd been that bad. She'd never been a sickly child; no Daiyokai were. They were rarely touched by diseases of any kind. And when they were, only lightly.

Never like this. It had probably been only the second or third time in her life she'd vomited. And it was not an enjoyable experience.

They were however, as prone to pup-sickness, or as the humans called it, 'mourning sickness' as any other species.

Sesshomaru crossed her arms over her waist, resting her head against her thigh for a moment and catching her breath. She felt so incredibly weak. It was almost impressive. When she felt like she had some strength she stood and dressed herself.

She wrinkled her nose. The smell of the sickness wasn't helping any.

She dressed with her eyes closed, as she always did in this form. Knowing the body well enough to dress just fine without eyesight. Which was convenient for Koga, since she still hadn't seen the mark.

She looked over to the bowl in dismay.

Should she get rid of it in the restrooms? They were awfully far, and … What if the smells in there triggered it again?

Sesshomaru threw the cloth over it to stop it spreading, and decided to head to the room to the right of theirs. In it was a she-wolf named Aki; Koga had instructed Sesshomaru to go to her if he needed help.

He'd been to her once before. Hopefully, she wasn't out on an errand.

He knocked on the wall next to the curtain. Unlike their room hers had no door.

"Aki?"

The Foo-Dog heard some faint rummaging around. The female wolf soon appeared. She had a faint, tawny pelt; her tail was pure white underneath.

"My lady!" She was as nervous around the Foo-Dog as she'd always been. Knowing Koga would be very angry if Sesshomaru wasn't attended to properly.

She gasped when their eyes met. Stepping forward and whimpering, her tail tucking. " Oh, are you well, dear? You're paler than I've ever seen you!"

Sesshomaru's tail writhed nervously on the ground. " I was ill. Could you…?" She would have blushed in embarrassment. Not able to finish the sentence.

"Of course, dear. Of course." She followed Sesshomaru back to Koga's room and had her point out where it was; taking it away despite Sesshomaru's protests. The Foo-Dog sat on the edge of the bed, too nervous to get comfortable again. Thanking her awkwardly when she brought it back clean and set it under the bed.

Just in case.

She was pretty sure her stomach was empty… But not sure enough to run the errand herself. Or… really, what to do with it. When Aki came back, Sesshomaru had to stop herself from snapping at the wolf. Her little hands on the Daiyokai's cheeks for just a moment to check his temperature.

Sesshomaru did not like to be touched.

"How are you feeling now? Is your stomach completely empty?"

"I believe so."

"All right." She sighed, thinking for a moment and looking over at the half-drunk tea. "Your pallor's off. I think you should just rest. Don't eat or drink anything for about an hour or so. And no solid foods until this evening, if you feel like you can keep it down."

Sesshomaru nodded, retying her sash moodily. _Damn wolf. And pup. _Aki gave some other advice, and she was trying to listen, but the act seemed to have drained brainpower along with physical energy.

"Shall I fetch Koga, my Lady?" She offered, and Sesshomaru shook her head quickly.  
"No need I shall attempt to rest. You may go." After a moment she added, "Thank you." Remembering that she was no servant, and certainly not obligated to be as kind as she was being to Sesshomaru.

She nodded and left. Sesshomaru slipped back into the pelts; wrapping both arms around her abdomen and curling up into a ball.

When Koga returned, he was surprised to find Sesshomaru still curled up under the blankets. Usually she kept herself busy- adding to the maps or reading through the books and files on Koga's shelves.

He sniffed the air, his tail twirling thoughtfully. Ah. She'd been sick. Well… it was about the right time for it to be getting worse.

"Sesshomaru?"

A low growl was heard from somewhere in the pile of pelts. Koga's face smoothed to an expression of amusement and sympathy. Sesshomaru was probably not used to feeling ill.

Koga slipped in under the pelts with her. Pausing for a moment at her growl. And, just like he had many times before, slowly scooting closer. Eventually managing to wrap his arms around her and pull her into his frame. Effectively spooning her.

She was unusually shy of his arm around her waist today- startling badly when his arm lightly brushed her abdomen.

"Does it hurt?"

"No. It's just… sensitive." Sesshomaru muttered, holding his arm away for a moment before placing it, very gently, herself. Lacing her arm over his and trying to calm down as her panic spiked for a moment.

One nice thing about Koga was that the wolf somehow seemed to sense when she wished for silence. Unlike Rin, Jaken, Inukimi, and everyone else in Sesshomaru's life, the wolf gave her time to think. Just… being close to her, giving her this warmth and affection, was healing in a way she had never experienced before.

He nuzzled her jawline gently, smiling a bit when she halfheartedly growled. Her expression still soft. The warmth of his arms around her… she sighed shakily, and closed her eyes. Her fingers lacing through his after a moment, and giving his hand a light squeeze.

The only way she could think of to say thank you. For of course, saying it aloud was out of the question.

"This is all your fault." She muttered, and Koga chuckled.

"Mm, no. You kept me captive. So I think it falls equally on both our shoulders."

Sesshomaru blinked in surprise and muttered, " I did?" confused. She didn't remember that.

"Mm hmm. I tried to escape once, and you hit me with the butt of your sword." He said, his voice heavy with mirth.

"Oh." She got a slight flush to her cheeks. She hadn't realized. Sesshomaru still remembered nothing of those three days, only the hell of changing from a man to a woman.

Her body was very slowly, relaxing. Her senses no longer straining for the slightest whiff of danger. Her mind not constantly plagued by piercing headaches from lack of sleep. Sesshomaru had lived in the wild for a long time… perhaps, too long. Needing to stay alert at all time for Rin. And for himself.

Not only for yokai and daiyokai foes, but for those horrible demonesses that hunted him down during their heats. Spring was the worst, for that. Well. At least when he became trapped in the Palace, they'd be shoved at him a little more tactfully.

There was a unique terror in being pursued by extremely horny females. Especially if they'd let their yokai side take over. Usually Sesshomaru could get away from them, but more than once, he'd been forced to kill them.

Sesshomaru wondered mildly if Koga had been just as terrified of her.

Everything hurt. Yet, the presence of her mate seemed to ease the symptoms even without the tea in her system. It was bizarre. She could feel his claws playfully tracing little, soft circles on her abdomen and it was making her shiver.

_Koga. _

She felt her resolve waver once more.

Could she really harm him in this way? It was one thing to get rid of it for her own sake. But no doubt it would destroy the wolf tribe from the inside out if Koga did not produce an heir soon. Koga was by far one of their better leaders. Even if they did manage to elect a new one, there would be a period of unrest as each fought to prove their worth as the new leader of the demon wolf tribe.

And he would be forced to watch his pack fall to unrest, perhaps even to ruin.

Not to mention … Her mind wandered back to seeing him with that pup. There was a certain kind of bitter sweetness in his gaze as he took care of the little runt.

She hadn't noticed it before, but she was getting better at reading the wolf's expressions now.

_He's making me weak. Soft. _

Sesshomaru thought. She had about a million reasons why the pup must be destroyed. But the most important one was one that she was keeping to herself. Unable to reveal to him or anyone else.

_I am making a merciful decision._

_Better to never exist than to live a life of suffering and constant threat. _

She reminded herself. Yes. She was protecting the poor thing in her own twisted way. A way that perhaps Koga would not understand.

And yet.

That fleck of weakness was still there. Some tiny speck, deep down inside, that screamed in terror when it thought of the miscarriage that would come.

_Koga. You've weakened me in a way no other yokai has. _

She thought, and she slid her other arm over his. He blinked and smiled sleepily, shifting around until both of his arms were around her as well. Tucking his head to her neck and taking a breath of her smell, charmed by the silken layers of her hair that caressed his face in silver glory.

Four arms. Two layers of protection for their tiny new pup that slept inside Sesshomaru.

He felt her fall asleep and was relieved. Deciding to take a small nap himself as well.

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The next morning, Koga was reluctant to let Sesshomaru go on the hunt, but the Daiyokai insisted.

And to be fair, her pallor was much better in the morning. What little color she had had come back into her cheeks.

It went well, as usual. With Sesshomaru around, hunting and border runs never took very long.

After the hunt, Koga managed to pull Sesshomaru aside. It wasn't something he wanted to talk about but it was something that needed to be addressed.

It was a beautiful day. Almost warm; wildflowers of every hue and shape were poking up from the earth. Birds were singing in the distance. The air was thick with the smell of delicious herds of yokai prey; deer, elk. Sesshomaru was a little hungry… but she was worried about history repeating itself if she went for some meat.

In a very small clearing, there was a collection of rocks; perhaps from some long-dead rock demon. Koga perched himself atop one of them, curling his long tail around the base of it and leaning his cheek on his hand. Eyeing Sesshomaru in a way that made her almost uncomfortable.

It was an intense gaze. As if he was trying to figure her out.

"So, remind me again why you gotta get rid of our pup."

Sesshomaru bristled slightly. Taking a seat herself opposite of the wolf and curling her tail over her shoulder. Stroking the fur for a moment to gather her thoughts.

"I have already stated the reasons. Inukimi will most certainly not accept a wolf-pup as a legitimate heir to the Foo-Dog throne. She will most certainly find other ways to destroy it of I do not drink the potion."

Koga's tail flicked and he clenched his teeth in anger. Maybe he should just kill her- that'd solve at least one of his problems. " She's the regent, not the Lady of the West. It's not her damn place to decide who is legitimate."

"It's not that simple." Sesshomaru said quietly. "It has to be a Daiyokai Foo-Dog. No other breed will do. That has been the tradition, the law of our kind, for generations. She and the other royal families will contest such a pup being an heir, even if it is born from me. "

" You're the Lord-Lady of the West. You can do whatever the fuck you want Sesshomaru. You really think anyone's gonna say no to you if you switch around tradition? Especially-"

Koga paused, his eyes narrowed in thought. Remembering what Sesshomaru's yokai had said to him.

_We needed to go back to the source of all dogs. _

_Our line is weak without the Inu No Taisho. _

"Especially if it's in the best interest of your tribe. What's the ah… strength of the rest of the Foo-Dogs left, if you don't mind me asking?"

Sesshomaru shifted around, her nose wrinkling in visible disgust. " They are weak. In mind and body. They do whatever my mother asks of them and cannot think for themselves."

The wolf considered this for a moment, his blue eyes shining as he thought rapidly. "Sesshomaru. You yokai told me your line was weak, when we met. I think… I think there's a reason you haven't taken a Foo-Dog as a mate. I think your instincts knew any pups they produced would ruin everything."

Sunset eyes widened in surprise.

Sesshomaru… hadn't really thought about it that was before. His hatred for touch, and parenthood, had certainly been a contributing factor, but…

Koga wasn't exactly wrong either. It wasn't safe to bet the future of the Foo-Dog empire on a weak mate. Better to have a sire like Koga- strong, brutal, decisive-than one of them. The wolf was many things but a spineless coward did not make the list.

The Foo Dog added, "I have important business to attend to. I can hardly be spending time playing house with you and your vile offspring."

Koga huffed and this time, he did roll his eyes. "Oh, you mean 'battling with the most powerful beings alive'? Well, hate to break it to ya Sesshomaru, but you, and the other three Daiyokai rulers are the only ones left that I know of. I haven't sniffed any out in **_years._** You n' the humans have been killing 'em since Naraku disappeared. Hell, you might be **_the_** most powerful Daiyokai left. I'd consider that job well done."

Sesshomaru growled a little under her breath. Angry at herself, and angry because she'd been sensing the same thing as well.

There just weren't as many powerful demons around as their used to be.

They were constantly being hunted and now…

She shook her head. " Look, cease with this prodding. I know what would be in the best interest of your tribe, but I cannot give you what you seek."

Koga raised a thick black brow. _She changed the subject. She knows these excuses are weak._

Then murmured, " You're giving me bullshit answers. There's some real reason you're not telling me about."

And he knew he was correct when she disappeared and reappeared inches from his face.

Spitting and growling with anger. Both dog and wolf growling in each other's faces, the whites of their eyes flicking red and blue, respectively.

"Tell. Me. The **_truth_**." Koga snarled, standing up. His tail straight out, and lashing. His demonic aura starting to swell and the stripes on his cheeks appearing more jagged.

To her surprise and horror, she felt the intense urge to submit. To back down. It made her instantly furious, and she snapped her jaws at him.

Suddenly, he was pressed right up against her. His body squeezing out those growls and letting her feel how furious he was with her. His hot breath was on her neck, a glob of saliva landing on her collar and dripping downwards.

So many teeth. He had so many teeth, and his lips were drawn back father than a human's could go. A display of anger and power and… His hand was on her shoulder. Pushing her gently, but firmly, to the ground.

She went to push him off, even more irate when her limbs refused to cooperate. Simply curling up limply against her chest.

Her mate was angry, and with good reason.

Before she even knew what was happening, her knees were buckling. Very slowly, agonizingly, being forced to submit to Koga. He was not pushing her with physical strength, but with the crushing weight of his demonic aura.

The air all around them turned a hazy blue, and she felt as if she were at the bottom of the ocean. Scarcely able to breathe, being crushed. Her legs folding on the ground.

Suddenly she felt the warmth of the dirt on her back and torso. And Koga was above her. His blue eyes piercing, and his lip still raised in warning if she were to try anything stupid. Pinning her down with the weight of his body.

His thighs on either side of her torso and his tail raised and bushed angrily.

Sesshomaru was absolutely floored. No one had ever beaten her in a display challenge before.

_Is he… stronger than me now?_

A flash of red eyes and fang was usually all Sesshomaru needed to get others to understand their place. She was quick to establish dominance with everyone in the room; in fact, it was usually one of the first things she did at the slightest provocation.

A good thing to get out of the way, so everyone understood their place.

Koga had told her before; relationships were a give and take. It was Sesshomaru's turn to give.

Her turn to submit, to be vulnerable, to be honest.

"Tell me." He murmured, his markings going back to their usual smoothness on his cheeks.

"I do not desire that throne! And I cannot be a mother, Koga." She whispered, looking away. Angry beyond belief that he was forcing an answer from her. And she felt herself starting to ramble- anything that would let her up sooner and away from him.

An unpleasant rush of adrenalin and embarrassment flooding her chest at how he managed to, once again, get through her façade.

"And you're a fool for picking me as your dame. How many times have I struck you now? How can you ever guarantee I won't harm a pup? That in a fit of anger, I won't strike them for something as innocent as asking for affection-"

Koga's eyes widened; the blue matching the shade of the sky behind him. Sesshomaru paused. She'd said too much.

_That's what happened. _

He got off of her, quickly. But not as quickly as she disappeared into the forest with a ; "Do not. Follow."

And he was left standing in an empty clearing and pining for her.

"Sesshomaru. I know you wouldn't; that's what my instincts tell me." He said, quietly, to no one in particular. His heart aching as he felt her panic and pain and shame from the confession.

_I didn't want to be right._

Koga's hands clenched into fists for a moment. _If I ever see that Inukimi I'll gut her alive. _ His claws piercing the flesh of his hands and his blue blood dripping onto the ground as he thought of his mate.

_ I know when I see you interacting with the babies in my pack, that you would never do that. _

_You would never, ever, hurt our child. _

_Especially now that you know the effect it has on a yokai. _

He thought. Catching her scent on the breeze and resisting the urge to go after her. She wanted to be alone, and maybe that was for the best for both. After all he too needed to calm down.

He relaxed, and dropped his shoulders.

The blue haze of his aura disappearing, and the birdsong started up once more.

Koga let her be on her own, that, is, until it got into late evening. It had started to rain; a light, strange, misty sort of rain. More coastal than they usually got.

The wolf was pacing, and eventually headed out into the woods to go find her. No doubt she was still furious at him, and that was fine. But he wasn't leaving her out there alone.

Eventually he found her up a tree. One of the evergreens, with needles thick enough to keep her relatively dry even though she was about forty feet up.

"Can I come up?" He asked, tail giving a flick. There was quite the pause before Sesshomaru muttered, "Do what you want, wolf." Her own long, soft tail hanging in the air. Giving the occasional twitch at the very tip in annoyance. Still burning a bit with humiliation from earlier.

It took about two hops to get where Sesshomaru was. He gave the Foo-Dog about a foot and a half berth, knowing she probably wouldn't want him too close right now. It was a nice view- the darkness of the mountains, the lights from his caves.

Inuyasha's little human village.

And beyond, the constant orange glow of the Foo-Dog Palace.

"If you want, we can go to the human's village tomorrow. I know you probably want to check in with the girl-pup." Koga offered, shifting his weight a bit and flicking some wetness off his tail.

Sesshomaru considered this. It would be nice to see her. And he usually checked in about once a month. But she wasn't too enthusiastic about visiting like… well. Trapped in this female form.

"Perhaps."

"I also brought you this." Koga offered a little scrap of jerky to the Foo-Dog. Which she took, sniffing curiously. Well. It didn't seem to be turning her stomach like the smell the other meats had.

"What sort is this?"

"Deer. Buts its dried a little differently. Seems better on the stomach of carrying females." Koga said, stretching his arms a bit and then having them settle behind his back in the gnarled, black branch.

She shot him the tiniest glare; _Stop reminding me. _

Before taking a very small sliver of it. Chewing, and swallowing. Huh.

Well, it didn't seem to have the same effect on her as the scent and taste of the other meats, anyhow. She ate the rest quickly and licked her claws. "And you have more of this."

"Mm hmm."

Sesshomaru looked relieved for a moment. Good. She needed to eat more… her yokai was upset about her inability to keep food down.

She shifted around again, leaning up against the trunk of the tree with her back and wiping a stray raindrop from her face. Then, she tucked her arms into her sleeves and curled her tail up over her legs.

One could accuse Sesshomaru of sitting in a manner very similar to a certain half breed just then.

She was loathe to admit it but she was missing the den. And the warm pelts. The misty rain settling on her in a most irritating manner.

_Father… what would you have done ?_

_What should I do? This wolf cuts to the quick in a way I have not experienced before._

Then again, she sort of already knew the answer to that, didn't she? After all… He was the one who'd brought Inuyasha into the world. Who'd died for that miserable half-breed. At least Sesshomaru was not carrying a hanyou. And… She looked discreetly over at Koga, who was busy scanning for trouble.

He was a Daiyokai. Wolves and dogs were so very close in blood… Surely, Sesshomaru could bend the rulebook. Take his rights as heir and take the throne from Inukimi. It would be **_easy_**. She had grown most irritating in her financial and militaristic decisions as of late. Most other tribe representatives tried to speak to Sesshomaru when they could.

But the moment she took it… she would be chained to the Palace. At least until the pup was old enough to protect itself.

No more roaming. No more mountain peaks, and fresh fish, and campfires. No more hunting; the thrill of running prey down both in human and yokai form.

_I said, never. No pups. No little bastards. Is my resolve so weak that one wolf can change my mind?_

Sesshomaru thought angrily. Besides… there as still the problem of being a 'mother'. How could she be kind, patient, affectionate? How could she undo everything Inukimi had done, and at the same time, learn to parent a pup herself?

It was too much. Before this had happened, she was content with loneliness.

Somewhere in her mind, knowing that she was ending the Foo-Dog line.

That had been perfectly acceptable to Sesshomaru. Better for it to end than to taper on, getting increasingly weak and pathetic until its inevitable demise.

_And yet._

She looked down at her claws in dismay. They were glittering from the mist and looked even deadlier in the low light. Cruel silver icicles. Meant only to rip and destroy flesh.

_I trust myself with Rin because she is human; and half-grown when we met. Out of that senseless crying , needy stage. Even so, I fear that… **potential**, in me. _Sesshomaru thought in misery. Startled out of her thoughts when Koga's hand slipped into hers.

Staring dumbly when he kissed her knuckles, then cupped her hand with two of his own, keeping it warm.

_There is so much I wanna say to you, but I know you would just kick my ass and not listen. I gotta be careful about this. _

" I've only met Rin twice, so, maybe I'm wrong about this." Koga murmured, still holding on to Sesshomaru's hand. Tracing the outline of her claws and the lines in her palm thoughtfully. " But from what I've been able to observe, she's not touch- shy at all with you. She is resourceful, she adapts quickly. And very loyal to you. This tells me two things; one, you've never struck her. And two; you understand that when you're a parent, you have to decide if you want your children to be safe, or strong. They can't be both."

Koga stood, gently pulling Sesshomaru to her feet.

"S' not something most parents will accept. But if you protect your child from everything dangerous, they become weak and useless. The best thing you can do for a kid is make em competent." He searched her eyes, that golden color so much more expressive than he ever thought it could be. He was getting better at reading her tiny expressions now; the slight eyebrow lifts, a clench of a jaw.

Right now she was… shocked at his words. And still a little angry at him for earlier. He gently slipped a hand to her cheek, and she could feel his thumb claw on her skin stroking gently.

"I understand your fear. But everything I've observed from you interactions with her, and the pups of my pack, has told me I would be fucking lucky to have you as the dame of my pup." His gaze was so very soft, then. The usual iciness of his blue eyes gone, replaced by something soft and gentle, but no less piercing.

_Stop it! You are making this so much harder. This was supposed to be simple._

"Stop. Please." Sesshomaru whispered. It was probably the second or third time she'd used that word in her life. And he did stop- only to pull her close and hold her until that angry, scared tremble stopped.

_When did he start being able to deduce things?_

Sesshomaru thought in irritation. Koga was a wolf- there was no need for him to be particularly smart. The fact that he was smarter than she gave him credit for was most irritating.

And was beginning to cause problems in her own resolve.

That was twice now, that he'd called her bluff.

They stayed like that for some time. And she memorized the moment. The feeling of his arms and body and the way his ponytail sometimes tucked over one shoulder in a fantastically glittering wave of black. It was curling slightly thanks to the rain and she could see droplets, fat with rainbows, in it.

"Can we go back inside? I'm freezing my ass off out here." Koga whispered in her pointed ear. The puff of warm air such a contrast to the cold that she had shivers. He was right… the rain was coming in freezing waves now, and they were both soaked through. It would have killed a human already. But they would be all right as long as they dried off properly.

Once inside and dry, Sesshomaru slipped back into 'her' bed, while Koga went to his own after saying goodnight.

Bu to his surprise, in the middle of the night, she slipped into his. Trying to be stealthy, but he had a better nose and ears than that.

And he could feel her forehead pressed gently to his shoulder blade. Wanting attention, but too proud or too angry to ask properly. So he pretended that he didn't notice. Slipping off to sleep with a slight smile.

The next day, Koga was as gentle with her as ever; trying to make up for upsetting her. In an odd way though, she seemed a bit more relaxed around him as well. He'd shown that he could be dominant, could challenge her, could get information out of her.

And that made her feel safe, despite herself. He'd shown himself to have some spine. Challenge her.

They were both very pleased that she seemed to be keeping the jerky down, and Sesshomaru opted for a nap after eating an ungodly amount. As she was bedding down, he was purring, nuzzling her cheek and scent-marking her as was their little tradition.

Earning a growl from her, as he always did.

_You marked me, you stupid wolf._

Sesshomaru thought, evenly. She'd seen the mark when she was exploring her abdomen this morning with her claws. That, combined with the sudden awareness of Koga's feelings and thoughts, told her it was definitely his mark.

It was so embarrassing.

They were bound, now. A mark was the Daiyokai equivalent of marriage. Thank goodness it was in a spot easily hidden- if it had been anywhere visible, the consequences would be disastrous.

The lineage of her pup and her relationship to the wolf displayed for all to see.

Yet strangely she did not feel like confronting him about it . She was sure he was aware and… Well. Did not want to spend the last few days with the wolf, fighting.

Sesshomaru reached out; the point of her clear claw at the very base of the mark on his upper chest. Just above his armor. Her beautiful crescent moon. Same size, same shape. There was no mistaking it. He shivered slightly at the touch.

"I know I did not give this to you of your own consent. Shall I try to remove it?" She offered in a whisper.

He almost jumped back, "No!" covering it with both hands protectively. Her hand jerked back in surprise and her yellow eyes widened.

"No, I…" Koga, for the first time since she'd known him, had some color on his cheeks.

Was he… blushing?

"This is precious to me." He admitted, tracing the little moon and then covering it once more. " One of the most precious things you've ever given me, and... I'm gonna keep it. Because it says I'm yours."

Their eyes met.

It was true… Every black strand of hair on that head. Every inch of that rough caramel skin. Those blue eyes full of that strange fire that was burning her from the inside out.

Every part of him belonged to her. And any yokai who went after him would know that her wrath would surely follow.

The Foo-Dog was… taken aback. A slight pink tinge raising in her own face before she turned, burying herself completely in the pelts and growling lowly. Unsure of how to deal with the wave of emotions his reaction put in her belly.

Koga heard a muffled, "Aren't you supposed to be out hunting?" from the Foo-Dog, and he got a soft grin on his face.

_She's hiding from me. Cute. _

"Yeah. I'll be back soon. Try and get some rest." He ran a clawed hand gently along the lump that was her, and heard one more soft growl before he left.

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Glad everyone is still enjoying the comic! And thank you Missus Critique for the review! I'll probably put a bit of a pause on this so I can finish my other story, but I'll come back to this if people are still interested in it afterwards. Thanks !


	5. Chapter 5

Hello everyone! I had to rewrite this chapter so it fits with where I want the story to go. (Thats also why I took down chapters 6-8. I hope you still like it and apologies for the confusion!

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Sesshomaru's pup-sickness was too intense for them to visit Rin the next day. It was probably for the best; Sesshomaru didn't really want to deal with the hanyou, his wife, and his little human pack that he'd made for himself.

They.. irritated the Daiyokai.

On the last three days, Sesshomaru found herself dreading the Palace. But there was nothing to be done about it. It was the correct, logical decision. Otherwise, there too many horrible possibilities. Sesshomaru could be a horrible mother. Could end up hurting it. Could cause a war over the eligibility of the damn thing.

Would be chained to the throne for a good majority of her life.

And Inukimi would never stop hunting her pup.

Of that, Sesshomaru was absolutely certain.

Koga had done everything right, and it still wasn't enough.

He'd pleaded, and reasoned, and threatened, and at one point Sesshomaru saw beautiful tears in those blue eyes. And it hurt her in a way she'd never experienced before. But he would not stop her, not this time.

Koga was down on one knee, his mind racing and his blue eyes that curious electric shade they became when he was racking his brain for an answer. The wolf looking up in surprise when Sesshomaru crouched in front of him.

For a single moment daring to hope.

The Foo-Dog leaning close and, after a moment of hesitation, pressing her left cheek to his right. That wave of silver hair freeing itself from her back and sliding free, hanging in a glorious silver curtain that would make any god weep for its beauty.

Koga pressed into the embrace. And for the first time it was him quivering and shaking at her touch.

Curious. She felt like her chest was being crushed. Like the air was being squeezed from her.

Apparently the wolf shared this feeling; his breath was coming in little, hitching gasps. She'd never seen him so vulnerable, so scared. The whites all the way around his eyes visible. Waves of fear and desperation and anger soaking through him, soaking through the mark on her skin that kept them connected.

_I'm no good for you, Koga. _

_I will only ever hurt you. Of that, I am most sure._

"Sesshomaru **_please_**-"

"Goodbye."

She disappeared into that tiny ball of white light. And it took everything in him not to chase it. Not to tackle her to the ground and force her. But the law was over now; she was allowed to make that decision.

Koga fell onto his backside. Pulled up his legs. Wrapped his arms over the top of his head, and cried bitterly. Even he couldn't force her to stay. Nor could he break into the Foo-Dog Palace without risk of dying. And he couldn't put his pack in danger like that… especially for a dame who didn't want him.

And she felt his intense pain all the way there. Sometimes, breaking her concentration so badly that she staggered before returning to her ball of light form.

Once at the Palace, she glanced up at it with no small degree of dread. The entire Palace was encircled by a red wall, drowning her with his shadow. There were two sections of the Palace; the outer area, where the villagers lived and farmed, and the inner Palace, where the true luxury of the Foo-Dog Empire was displayed for all to see. White buildings with black rooftops, tiled. The line of the rooftops gliding gracefully upwards at the tips. The Palace itself looming over everything, golden and red accents glistening in the sunlight.

Sesshomaru dreaded it.

She glanced up at the gates. A guard noticing her.

"L-Lord Sesshomaru?"

_ Damn her. _

_I will not be a pawn to her will any longer._

She snarled under her breath. Using one of the more creative phrases she'd picked up from spending time around that Inuyasha. And making a small, quick, rude gesture with her hand.

Sesshomaru took a sharp turn left, darting off into the forest. Away from the wolf tribe territories. And into her own.

Deep into what was commonly referred to as the Mountains of Mist.

Sesshomaru had little 'shelters' stocked away in almost every single territory in the Northern, Western, and Southern lands. Usually just a nicely hidden cave; perhaps with the occasional leftover pelts to keep her warm, or a pot or pan so she could make broths and teas.

The Daiyokai had no doubt that the minute Koga found out he'd be on her trail. So she would keep running. As long as she could. She couldn't return to the Foo-Dog Palace; and she'd be admitting defeat if Koga saw her in this filthy female form.

She no longer had a home in either places.

So life, in some ways, would return to the way it was before. She would be alone; and be in charge of her own destiny. In fact, she almost regretted sending the letter to Inukimi; perhaps, she'd send another full of lies later. But it'd be so much easier to send nothing at all.

She would never let her, or anyone from the Foo-Dog tribe, track her down.

She even got a head-start; it rained for a solid week after she left the wolf tribe. Her scent growing fainter and harder for Koga to track. Which was good.

She was able to get comfortable in one of the dens for that week. Her pup-sickness pleasantly light. She ate well, and often; wanting to get as much inside her as she could in preparation for the big chase. Catching fish in the nearby stream, downing elk and deer with her whip- stretching and drying hides for her to sleep under and on top of.

She was not a pampered Daiyokai. But she preferred to have at least one layer between her, and the could hard ground.

One that seventh day, she could feel Koga getting closer. So, she packed up and left; flying for two days straight before settling into another cave. Always, she was ahead of him by at least two or three days. Once, by a whole week. But he was… irritatingly persistent.

Sesshomaru was sure he would give up, sooner or later.

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Koga was suffering greatly from her absence. He knew it would hurt; but it hurt in a much different way than he thought it was. Losing Ayame had been against both their wills; losing Sesshomaru had been her choice. Her choice, to leave him behind. To destroy the pup that, though was unexpected, was certainly not unwanted. At least, on his end.

That first week was the worst. He hunted, and did patrols, and did his usual daily task. But there was no fire in his eyes, no spark of mischief and affection. He felt numb. Waiting with terror for the moment he'd feel Sesshomaru's pain, the rush of blood that would tell him that his pup was gone and that Sesshomaru was out of his reach forever.

He was… confused when it never came.

Curious, he'd tracked her smell to the Palace. Right up to that wall. Ignoring the yells and unfriendly thwacks of arrows near him as he sniffed the ground.

Blue eyes like the sky widening as her smell went distinctly left. Away from the Palace. Out into the wild.

He followed, of course. Without question.

Once, he went back to the wolf tribe. But only to let them know what he was doing, and to set two of his most trusted wolves to rule in his absence.

And the game began.

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Sesshomaru was an expert at hiding her smell. She only travelled by air, or river. She never hunted in her Foo-Dog form. And when she did in human form, she was sure to bathe first, with strong-smelling soaps that she stored inside her sleeves. She missed Ah—Un- the dragon would make this much easier. But he was better off where he was.

Most of the second month wasn't too bad; the nausea was awful but didn't impede her progress. And she was good at ignoring the symptoms, and what they meant, for most of that time. And moreover, the decision she was making by deciding not to get rid of the … thing.

Koga's child was strong inside her. Never did she worry about miscarrying; never did she have strange blood or cramps or any other indication that the pup was in danger.

She watched the many symptoms of pregnancy unfold with morbid fascination. Never imagining that she would be the one experiencing them. She felt almost strangely detached; as if watching the changes from afar. The ache as her hips widened. The heaviness of those damn things on her chest.

Always she had imagined that she'd be observing these symptoms in whatever poor dame his mother had thrown at Sesshomaru. But he always found the process from afar to be a little repulsive. Especially the way dames fawned over their swollen stomachs.

It had always made him sick. How could they enjoy the process of the little parasites feeding on them?

But now, as much as she hated it, she was beginning to understand their behavior. At least a little.

Up close like this, it was strangely rewarding in its own way.

It was getting heavier, slowly. Sometimes it felt as if nothing was happening at all; sometimes she'd stand up and nearly stagger, shocked and impressed by its heaviness. And there was really nowhere else to put your hands. One the bump had started, it felt strange to put them anywhere else.

She tried to convince herself to hate the thing. Or to be utterly indifferent. But she felt twinges of the same thing she'd felt for Rin; that day, when Sesshomaru had been unable to save her from the underworld. Twinges of affection that spelled out her ruin.

It's stubborn warmth seeming to say: _I'm here. What are you gonna do about it?_

It was nice to have time alone to think.

There was a different sort of rhythm in her life now. She dug out fish traps, hunted, harvested hides, and slept. The sleeping was changing too. Usually Sesshomaru dozed for maybe two or three hours a night; her ears still keeping track of everything around her.

Now, she slept hard for at least five or six hours a night. Not waking at all unless something twanged in her instincts. Sesshomaru would find herself staring into the low flames of the fire. Letting it warm her feet and thighs like Koga had once had warmed her entire body.

She thought of him surprisingly often; more than Rin. She missed his touch. And his warm comfy den. Often her yokai plagued her with dreams of him: his claws, the feeling of his body tucked around her, protecting her. She'd felt so safe, then. She did not feel safe now.

The mark on her abdomen hurt from the distance, and begged her to return to her mate, and stop this madness.

When she thought of the wolf, her hand sometimes wandered to that certain spot in her abdomen and gently stroked it with her claws. She could feel her resolve slipping away and melting from between her claws. Like trying to nail water to a wall.

_You're getting bigger, little parasite. _

_And you…_

A flush filled her face for a moment. Her claws warm points on that spot. Heart beating fast in her ears as her body was suddenly full of some foreign emotion.

_You share your father's heat. _

_It is my ruin._

She'd often thought to rid herself of the thing. Making the potion. Heating it. And then inevitably, pouring it out onto the ground sometime later.

She did not understand.

Something powerful was preventing her from getting rid of it. An instinct that she couldn't explain. It was most infuriating; it was the correct decision. Saving both the pup and herself from a lifetime of woe and danger. For if it did come out a Foo-Dog; or worse, came out with Sesshomaru's crescent moon plastered to its skin… well. They wouldn't ever know peace or safety. Not until mother was taken care of anyway.

She also hated the idea of thrusting a throne upon the poor pup. It would either be the inheritor of the Foo-Dog throne, or the Wolf Tribe, whenever Koga decided to step down. From Sesshomaru's personal experience he'd hoped that any children of his would have some choice in the matter. But that didn't seem to be how things were playing out.

Not to mention, Sesshomaru was terrified of repeating his mother's parenting style. Koga would be a good father, she was certain. But.. Perhaps the poor thing would be better off without Sesshomaru.

Better off being raised by some female wolf in the pack. Someone soft and loving and gentle. Someone who was the opposite of Inukimi and Sesshomaru in every way.

But she wasn't strong enough to get rid of it.

How ironic; the killing perfection, unable to get rid of a tiny speck that wasn't really even a pup yet.

The Foo-Dog hoped it would be a wolf. Big and strong and black of pelt like its father. And hopefully, missing that crescent moon that adorned Sesshomaru's forehead. That would be for the best. Then, it could be raised in the wolf tribe without question of its heritage.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she supposed she'd have to go back to the wolf tribe at some point. She didn't have a choice. And she certainly couldn't birth it out here. Demons would swarm at the smell of fresh Daiyokai pup. And after the birth she would not be strong enough to fight them all off.

But going back meant defeat. Going back meant that she'd have to show Koga that she was still carrying his pup around, and that was embarrassing. Humiliating. Show him that her resolve was weak and worst of all, show him that his words had affected her decision.

Sesshomaru had a nagging feeling that her mother would figure out what had happened. She didn't know her son too well…. But she did know that Sesshomaru's silence usually meant there was something he didn't want her to know.

This was no different. Sesshomaru had sent no letters, nor had she returned to the Palace. But she hadn't run into any Foo-Dog spies yet so that was good.

She was hungry every two or three days, which was an unpleasant new sensation for her. The only other time in Sesshomaru's life when he'd been hit by hunger was when he was in his youth: his body needing extra nutrition to grow.

But this was a symptom that would not allow itself to be ignored. Once, she'd tried to; only to find her yokai form ripping free, hunting down a boar and eating her fill. She'd had to leave the area right afterwords; Koga would definitely smell her there.

Sesshomaru rolled up her sleeves. Watching the patterns of the sleek silver fish under the water before striking quick as a blur. One, two, three.

More grateful now than ever that Toga, her father, had taught her how to catch fish. They were by far the easiest food to catch without leaving her scent all over the place. The Foo-Dog them hurried back to her temporary den. Koga was getting closer; she'd have to leave tomorrow morning unless she wanted to be caught. The damn wolf was so persistent.

She swallowed the fish down raw; headfirst. They went down smoothly. And Daiyokai didn't have to worry about bones; their stomach acid more than strong enough to dissolve most bones. Sesshomaru usually cooked her food; a side effect of staying with Rin for so long. But raw meat was the natural diet of yokai like her and so, she didn't deny herself it now.

Not when the hunger ripped through her like cold claws.

Sesshomaru was… sort of, crying. Tears streaking their way in glittering strands down her cheeks. Her legs pulled up, and her arms wrapped around her abdomen. Her forehead resting on one of her knees as the little sobs made their way through her system.

She was in an exquisite amount of pain. Blooming from her chest outwards in ripping waves that left her weak. Koga's damn weakness infecting her from the inside out. So many emotions. Everything she'd repressed for the last few hundred years seeping through the cracks.

_What's wrong with me?_

_Oh, father. If you were here, surely you'd know what to do._

_I need you. I know I did not make it obvious. I know I appeared indifferent and cold, and I never even got the chance to tell you- How could you leave me?_

_I am so lost without you._

She gritted her teeth as she looked into the fire, glaring. Her eyes flooding with red for just a moment; her yokai in distress as well. Redirecting the glare to her abdomen. Wanting to be angry at it for existing. Yet… for once, anger did not come when it was called.

And after a while, she tired.

Sesshomaru settled down with her new pelts. Yanking one completely over the top of herself, leaving only a tiny hole for cold air to come through around her face. And falling to sleep. The rest of the second month of her pregnancy passed, and she avoided Koga like the plague.

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But then, when she rounded the corner into the third month, something terrible started to happen.

Her symptoms reared their ugly head more powerfully than ever before.

The nausea was absolutely terrible. And the achiness, the tiredness, the terrible insatiable hunger was all cranked up a notch. But for some reason she still couldn't get rid of the parasite.

It was her only companion, during that time in her life.

Quietly warm inside her. And when she looked out at the moon and the cold stars and for the first time, felt the ache of being alone, she would sometimes run her claws along that warmth.

And it brought her a strange comfort.

The pup was Koga's… but her blood ran through it too.

The blood of Inu No Taisho. The blood of her father.

Her resolve, what was left of it, slowly faded. Sesshomaru realizing that in fact, indecision was decision in this particular case. By making that damn potion but never consuming it she had inadvertently decided, somewhere in the back of her mind, to keep the damn thing.

Perhaps in fact, she had decided it a long time ago.

Knowledge of this was upsetting. But there was nothing to be done now. She would carry it, feel it growing and kicking under her skin and nine months from now birth it. She wasn't sure she could handle the process. But certainly, she could handle it better than the dreams that plagued her of the miscarriage the potion would bring.

Dreams of holding a dead pup in her arms. The smell of Koga's blood mixed with her own. They had been horrific and more than once shed woken up with a scream in the back of her throat.

It was too late to get rid of the pup, now anyway. The potion only worked for the first three months. And three moon-cycles had just come and went; counting tonight.

Koga was very, very close to catching her. She could tell his proximity by the fading and swelling of his emotions. It terrified her though she didn't know why. Her instincts twisted by her fears. Convincing her that perhaps he would try to harm the pup as well. Angered by her leaving or angry that she hadn't told him she'd decided to keep it.

Why was she afraid of his anger? It was this wretched female form. She could feel her sword was heavier, harder to swing. There were advantages as well; she was sure she'd have dropped dead from exhaustion if it hadn't have been for this body's ability to store fat more efficiently.

Nevertheless she hated it.

Sesshomaru was retching into a bush, leaning against a tree. Doing her very best to get her sixty inches of heavy silver hair out of the way. And, to not get it on her clothes. When she had finished vomiting, her body decided to grace her with a few minutes of heavy dry-heaving before finally relenting.

She flopped to her side in the wet grass. Panting and exhausted.

Between fighting the demons that were interested in the smell of the pup in her belly, the symptoms of the pup, and the constant running, she was so tired. Sesshomaru couldn't remember a tiredness comparable to this. It was in her very bones. Each movement causing her body to scream and demand that she become one with the grass and the soft, fragrant earth.

She forced herself up, shivering. She'd have to get a fire started; she was soaked through with rain. Her thighs trembled slightly. Her body begging for relief.

_He's coming. _

_Damn it. _

He really was a wolf demon: no other she'd ever known of could track her this far, this well. Inside, she could feel her yokai writhing with relief and pleasure. Her mate was coming! Now, she'd be warm and fed and taken care of.

Lost in her instincts, she drank in the smell for a moment. She knew it better than any other; the smell of smoke and leather. Was there any better smell than her wolf? If there was, she suddenly couldn't recall it.

Sesshomaru then shook her head, pushing down her yokai's reaction with irritation.

The sickness was making her careless. Her scent on the tree; the crushed wet grass. But there was nothing to be done about it now. She'd just have to pray he'd pass right by; it was a very well hidden cave after all.

She parted the ferns that hid the entrance, climbing up. It was a small passage too; faintly sandy on the bottom. It was a strangely shaped cave; sort of a boomerang. It went low at first, then curved upwards. But the cave inside was well worth it. It was roomy; Sesshomaru had started a fire on the lefthand side. A tiny hole in the ceiling letting the smoke out, and keeping out the cold.

On the right , she had her pelts stacked. A bowl for when she couldn't make it to the entrance to vomit. And another bowl and cup for when she wanted to attempt to make blood-broth for herself. She kicked off her shoes and clothes.

Spreading them as well as she could nearby the fire.

Then she crawled into her pelts: one pelt across her body, and two below her. Some cushioning from the cold rock floor.

And though she didn't mean to, fell into a nervous sleep.

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Koga almost did pass right by. But his nose caught a sudden, strong whiff of that very faint trail that was driving him and his yokai to madness.

He needed answers.

Why she'd ran away.

Why he'd never felt that miscarriage pain that she'd promised him would happen.

And why the hell her scent still smelled female. He wasn't a fool; he suspected why. But … if it was true, then he needed to be protecting her. Not let her run all about the countryside like this.

He grabbed a nearby tree to steady himself. Sniffing his palm in surprise and giving it a soft lick.

Sesshomaru's scent was very strong here. She'd been here… two hours ago? Maybe three. Even with the rain, he could smell it. Other demon's couldn't though. At least he wouldn't have to worry about her being attacked tonight.

He found the cave shortly afterwords, and wriggled upwards. Not even bothering to be quiet; he knew she'd caught his scent some time ago. He could tell by the absolutely vicious snarls that were ripping through the cave. Vibrating in his torso and belly and causing his long tail to tuck up against his belly in fear.

It was completely dark, inside the cave. He could smell the scent of a fire recently snuffed out. And Sesshomaru. His eyes taking a moment to adjust.

It was in that moment that she struck him. Good and hard right across the face with her claws. His blue blood streaking the wall.

Koga yelped. Closing one eye and finding her in the darkness, pinning her down. She was fighting him harder than she ever had; harder even, than that morning she'd woken up beside him.

He could barely keep her down.

"Sesshomaru for god's sakes-"

"I will kill you! Do **_not_** touch me-"

_Shit. _

For some stupid reason, Sesshomaru thought he was a threat. And obviously had convinced her yokai of the same.

He needed to get her under control before she did really hurt him; he wouldn't be much help to her with an arm or leg missing.

Her yokai made it unable for Sesshomaru to kill him… but she could still hurt him. Badly.

But Sesshomaru was pup-sick, and weak. And so he was able to wrestle her to the ground, get her arms above her head. Ignoring the way his fingers were bleeding and melting from her acid claws. And the sting of her claws on his face. He still couldn't open that eye. And those five claw marks were bleeding down his neck.

"Why the hell are you fighting me! What is wrong with-"

He got quiet, sniffing the air. Slipping a hand free of her wrists and sliding it very gently down her belly. Ignoring her as she bucked and squirmed and hissed. She had an odd little curve in her form. So warm! He paused in shock and swallowed thickly. He knew this warmth.

He knew the strange firmness of a pup.

Sesshomaru was spitting and growling like an angry cat; bucking so hard he was having a hard time keeping her in one spot. Her eyes tinged with red and her hair beginning to flare out like the fur on her tail. He was almost amused: she was so incredibly protective of that spot. He could feel even her skin tensing up.

_Such a good mama._

"If you harm my pup, I will-" Sesshomaru whispered, trying frantically to pull her legs up. Her heart beating hard and fast. Panicked. Not at all liking the feeling of claws on her belly.

"Shh, angry mama." He soothed, gently removing the claws and purring lowly to calm her down. Koga could smell the tinge of salt and knew that Sesshomaru was crying out of fear and anger and frustration. But he could also feel his low purrs effects.

Very slowly, her snarling was going down to nothing but whimpers.

The wolf let her hands go, and wrapped his arms around her tightly. His head resting so gently against her abdomen.

"I would never harm our pup. You hear me? **_Never_**." Koga whispered fiercely, scarcely daring to believe it.

Was this a dream? If so, he never wanted to wake up.

His pup was alive. Warm and well inside his mate. He was beginning to be able to smell it from the outside, now. A mixture of their smells into something totally new and unique.

"Sesshomaru, you kept it. You... I- ah, fuckin' hell…."

He whispered, wiping a tear away with anger and feeling his shoulders shaking from suppressed sobs. He was so relieved.

He was ready to be furious with her for running from him, but now he understood why.

She was embarrassed. Probably conflicted and confused why she'd decided to keep the pup as well. But that didn't matter. He could have never expected such an incredible gift. By far, this was the best surprise he could have ever wished for.

And this time it was Sesshomaru's turn to pause. He was so warm- his cheek against her belly, his arms. Her body was rejoicing in it. Her mate was home once more.

_I'm sorry._

Shakily, she ran her claws through his hair. Petting it back. Smoothing it. Her heartbeat slowing, and the tenseness in her body leaving her.

Then after a moment, embracing him completely. Her arms around his shoulders and her fingers dug deep into his raven locks.

"Are you okay?"

Koga nodded, pressing a kiss to her belly that left her trembling and weak. She wondered if the pup could feel it too. If he or she recognized the touch of their father.

_It's your dad, little pest._

"We're supposed to do this together, damn dog. How dare you put yourself through this. When you could have been warm and safe and fed in my den." He whispered. Luckily, the pup smelled fine; but hungry. Sesshomaru on the other hand, needed food and rest, badly.

He scooted up, pressing a kiss to her lips. She was suddenly aware of her own nakedness and shied away a bit. Trembling so badly it was almost like she was vibrating. He grabbed one of the pelts, wrapped it tightly over her.

Massaging her arms and shoulders and pressing kisses wherever he could reach until the trembling went away.

"I'm going to go hunt for you. And get you some herbs to help with your stomach so you can keep food down. I want you to rest. I'll keep an eye out for demons and make sure none of them get anywhere near you. Okay?"

She nodded silently, and grabbed his arm as he went to leave.

Leaning up. Tracing out those huge, jagged marks on his face. Very gently, licking each one until it scabbed over. Then sort of wriggling down until her head was resting on his chest. Her hands still tucked tight against her chest, holding the blue deer pelt closed.

_My wolf. _

_I knew he wasn't going to hurt me. _

_I feel so… foolish. _

Koga's expression softened a bit. Wrapping his arms around her shoulders once more. She must have been scared. Even the great Lord Sesshomaru must have been fearing for her baby; that Daiyokai pup smell beginning to draw the interest of so many demons.

More than willing to rip it straight from her stomach.

And she was so weak from pup-sickness too. God. If Koga hadn't been trailing her, killing off the demons that were following her… No. He wouldn't think about that.

He'd have to get her back to the wolf tribe, and soon.

" I'm here. It's okay."

_I want to hold him. _

_But… I'm scared._

She felt so … relieved. So happy. Elated. He'd come for her, even though she'd tried her damnest to get rid of him. She could hear his heartbeat through his armor and her eyes felt heavy suddenly. She looked fondly at the blue crescent moon on his skin, tracing it with a claw.

_Koga._

And felt him shiver, nuzzling his chin against the top of her head. Her beautiful silver mane was wet from rain, and leftover sweat from running from him.

"Don't you ever do this to me again, dame."

He murmured fiercely, and Sesshomaru gave the tiniest of nods. Too tired to even protest. Where was here fire?

Normally she'd scoff and say something condescending. And maybe scratch him again for calling her that hideous word.

Dame.

The mother of his pup.

_But when it comes from him…_

There was something about the tone. Soft and low and affectionate. It smoothed down her raised hackles and snuggled its way up into her chest.

_What is wrong with me? _Sesshomaru thought in a daze.

He could smell her exhaustion and hunger and was so ashamed. It was just so unacceptable to have his mate in this state; it reflected so badly on him. But then again… she was a bit of a unique case.

He knew that she'd never accept the pup quietly. So perhaps this running and pushback was natural from someone like the Ruler of the West.

Her mind, training, and five hundred years of life tugging her one direction. While her newfound instincts, her hormones, and her yokai was tugging her the exact opposite way.

_I never meant for you to go through any of this alone. _

She was getting heavy against him. Her tail starting to wrap naturally around her feet and thighs to keep them warm.

He slipped a tanned hand into her hair and pressed another deep kiss to those silver locks, ignoring a mewl of disapproval.

Koga held her until she fell asleep against him.

His heat too much to bear after being used to only her own.

Then, he tucked her into the pelts, got the fire going, and went hunting. By the time she woke, he was busy brewing tea. There were two fine, skinned deer haunches, wrapped in cheese cloth, waiting for her.

She sat up and reached for them, giving a low growl when he caught her hand. "Nu -uh. You gotta drink this first. Otherwise you'll just bring it back up again."

Sesshomaru wriggled herself to a sitting position. Grumbling and muttering evil things under her breath. She knew he was right but that made her even more mad. She was starving, damn it!

The Foo Dog grabbed the cup the minute it was presented. Trying to throw it all back at once. Only to make quite the face. Very slowly, swallowing, and curling her tongue in disgust.

"That is horrific."

Koga looked amused. " Well, if we were back in the den, I could've tempered it with sugar."

Sesshomaru grumbled something unintelligible. Crossing her legs and making sure she wasn't indecently exposed before sipping at the brew moodily. It did not taste good. At all.

Eventually she finished it off. She was surprised to find that the horrid taste wasn't setting off her gag reflex in the way everything else did.

In fact, her stomach did seem a bit more… soothed. It wasn't cramping and roiling like usual.

Koga took the mug, inspecting her clothes and handing her the undergarments and fluffy white hakama pants. " These look dry enough. Everything else needs a bit more time."

Looking away politely so she could dress. His black tail wagging lowly as he waited. The slight touch of her long , white tail against his foot indicating it was all right to turn around again. Koga handed her the two haunches.

Blinking and drawing his hand back quickly when she absolutely tore into them like a wild animal. Splitting the bones in half quickly against her thigh and then grinding them down into nothing with her powerful back teeth. She then licked her hands and arms clean, and looked at Koga expectantly.

"More?"

"Obviously."

In the end, she ate nearly the entire animal, minus the entrails and head, before her belly started to protest. Not used to so much food and certainly not used to keeping it down for more than a few minutes. A food coma was imminent; she was looking at him already with soft, drowsy yellow eyes.

Quite the turnaround from her usual icy glare. But then again, this was probably the first good meal she'd had in some time. A meal where she could actually relax and digest properly without fear of packing up and running at any moment.

A part of him burned to yell at her; to interrogate her. Why the hell did you run around pregnant? What were you thinking? Why didn't you just come home to me? But his instincts were telling him now was not the time.

His dame needed rest, and food, and understanding from him. And he was willing to give it, for now.

"Go ahead and go to sleep. I'll keep an eye out." He assured her. Seeing that tinge of red in her eyes from her yokai.

She started bedding down; turning around twice and kneading the pelts a bit with her claws before flopping down. It was amusing to Koga to see the more doglike instincts come out of her; and he hoped he'd see more in the future. Sesshomaru pulled the bright blue pelt up to her shoulders and let out a long content sigh.

Koga nuzzled the top of her head with his cheek; getting his smell on her and getting some of her smell on himself at the same time. After months of tracking that smell, he was relieved to have it on his skin again.

She growled softly in that way that was more of a purr, and Koga's felt a little flutter in his chest.

_My beautiful girl. _

_I'll be back soon. _

By the time he was outside again, he could tell that she was already fast asleep.

He stayed watch in a nearby tree. But as he suspected, the rain washed away her scent well; and only one or two yokai came wandering. Both of which decided to go the opposite direction when they picked up on Koga's smell.

He was picking up on a different, odd smell.

Coming from that wretched Inuyasha's village. It sort of reminded him a little of Sesshomaru's scent, that day before the transformation had taken him. It stirred his yokai a little but it wasn't quite ripe yet.

And it was bloodier and full of pain.

Was it one of his female wolves? They usually didn't stray out of the cave during their heats. Wanting to stay close to their mates and families for protection, so that they wouldn't get mated to some weaker demon accidentally. After the first few heats, the instincts calmed a bit; their yokai and their other selves becoming more in sync with their physical and emotional needs and therefore, less desperate.

Most females gave off hardly any smell after their first few heats; and some were so in sync with their yokai that they never gave off that potent smell. But those poor yokai who were out of sync with their demons, ( or actively suppressing them) like Sesshomaru… those were doozies. Koga was grateful he'd never experienced anything like it.

The wolf sniffed again.

_Nah, not wolf. Definitely… hanyou. It's that half-breed mutt's smell. What's wrong with him?_

He obviously wasn't the only one catching the odd smell. He watched quietly as the two ogre demons who'd just avoided his smell lumbered off in that direction as well. It wasn't long before he saw the ripping light of the Wind Scar, as well as the darting white of that bone weapon that the demon slayer of the village often used.

Koga hadn't realized they were so close to the human village. So close to home.

Unconsciously, Sesshomaru had been making one giant loop back towards the wolf tribe.

They were probably only about two hours from the farthest border of Koga's tribe.

In a way, it was a bit of a relief. It'd certainly make taking Sesshomaru back to the tribe easier. His instincts stirred a little. If she was that hungry now, she was going to be hungry in the morning too.

He'd best go hunt something for her so he'd have some kind of breakfast ready. Keeping her well and fed was his top priority. Koga shot off into the night, and was pleased to have caught another boar very close by within half an hour.

Flopping it over his shoulder and heading to the river to gut it. Humming softly to himself, his tail swinging in low content strokes behind him. Ears twitching and nose alert for any demons that might be wandering too close to his mate.

He felt so… content.

The only thing that felt better than running his enemies through with his claws, was caring for his mate. And he never wanted to be without her ever again.

She was… captivating. Cold and distant… but also, burning with the desire to give and receive affection, and love. Stoking that fire and watching her writhe with discomfort as her nature fought her instincts was a uniquely wonderful pleasure.

He wanted to woo her.

To win her body and mind completely.

He never wanted her to look at anyone else with the golden haziness he'd seen before. He wanted that softer gaze only ever to be settled on him; and perhaps, their pup.

Koga was looking forward to the day he saw that affection burn inside her for their pup. For if she was that protective of it now, he knew she would feel that love a thousand times stronger when she finally held that pup in her arms.

He carried the boar back to the cave. And quietly in the darkness, prepared it for her.

His blue eyes full of life and fire once more.

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Missus Critique- Thank you ! I'm really sorry for changing things up on everyone. But I wasn't super happy with the way this was going, so I wanted to rewrite the last few chapters. I hope you still like it!

Smiles- Don't worry, Sesshomaru and Koga's relationship is going to be very interesting once he turns back into a man lol. But yeah, I basically realized I really needed to change something before getting this to where I wanted. Sorry about the mess lol. I basically just realized I was following the storyline of The Eternal Knot too much, so yeah xD

Empress Tatiana- Hi! Don't worry, Kagome's gonna be in this version too. And I promise questions will be answered, but not just yet lol


	6. Chapter 6

Inuyasha groaned, leaning against a tree. It had been a month.

A month since he'd seen that stupid three-eyed doe. All white and shimmering in the morning mist. He knew he should have sliced it to pieces when he had the chance. But his mother had told him that white does were good luck; that it was bad luck to harm them.

It had had such a peculiar smell; not like any other animal he'd ever smelled.

So instead, he'd let it approach.

It was unusually friendly, for a deer. Coming right up to him and nuzzling up against his chest with a soft pink nose. He'd petted along its ears and large bony head very gently with its claws. Even its hide hadn't felt normal- it was sleek and soft as rabbit fur. Soon enough it shook its head and bounded off, its hooves leaving bursts of purple violets all along its path as it disappeared into the forest.

He hadn't really thought too much about it, at the time.

It wasn't too unusual, when compared to all the other things that had happened in his life. Inuyasha just assumed it was a deer that someone fed… or perhaps someone's wayward yokai steed, like Ah-Un.

It was actually Kagome who had noticed the mark when he returned. It was a shimmering silver; two deer antlers with the prongs pointed inwards. Laid in the place where his collarbones met in an almost perfect circle. Inuyasha wasn't too sure what it meant, so he'd just made sure his collar was pulled up a bit when he was around his human friends.

And that would have been the end of it, if it weren't for his horrible pain.

"Inuyasha?"

He could hear Kagome's voice from far off. Fuzzy and muted by this incredible white-hot pain. Spreading upward from his abdomen with every beat of his heart. His ears pinned back to his skull, nearly disappearing into that greyish-silver mane as he panted.

_Fucking hell. When is this going to stop?_

" M' okay Kagome. Just give me a minute." He murmured, biting down a wince. He could feel it: his yokai crawling under his skin. Poking and prodding at his defenses and searching for a way out.

Those damn beads around his neck starting to steam once more. Leaving tiny red marks all around his neck. So hot. He felt so fucking hot.

For a month he'd been burning up. Ever since that mark had landed on his skin it would flare up: each time, a little bit stronger. Sometimes his eyes would leak red; other times, those jagged markings would appear on his cheeks. And his sword would suddenly start to bite into the flesh of his palm.

Kagome held her husband's arm gently, right under the bicep.

"Inuyasha. I'm taking you to Kaede when we get back to the village. This isn't normal. And it all started with that weird mark." She murmured. Reaching out as if to trace it before pulling her hand away.

"What's that stupid ol' bag gonna do. Lay some damn leaves on me." He muttered under his breath, moving the beads so they rested against the fire rat robes rather than his skin. Using only his claws; they hurt the skin of his fingers, too. Kaede was gifted in many things, but this seemed like a demonic problem.

"I don't know. But it's either her, or Koga. Take your pick." Kagome huffed, indicating the beads. " I'll sit you and drag you all the way there if I have to. He's the only other demon who probably wouldn't eat us."

Inuyasha growled lowly under his breath. "Or- you could take 'em off me. Because they hurt like hell."

Kagome hesitated. " Inuyasha… I would but, your demon is peeking through sometimes. If something goes wrong, I don't want Toshi hurt." Toshi was their three-year-old human son, conceived on one of Inuyasha's human nights. He had soft black hair , Kagome's deep blue eyes. And not an ounce of demonic blood in him.

The hanyou muttered angrily under his breath for a minute before pausing. Catching a smell.

"Stay right here. I'll be right back." He murmured, darting off into the trees. After about twenty minutes or so of running; leaping gracefully from tree to tree- he found what he was looking for.

Koga was busy washing his hands and arms in the stream nearby Sesshomaru's cave. They were still slick with boar blood and he knew his mate was particular about smells.

Sesshomaru's appetite seemed sated for now: she was deep in sleep after another huge meal. Koga was glad. The stronger she got, the sooner they could both go home to the wolf's den.

For example: he wouldn't have to deal with the damn half-breed running towards him at top speed. As I Koga hadn't heard, and smelled him coming a mile away.

"Well if it isn't mister wolf demon prince." Inuyasha taunted, pulling out his sword with a metal hiss. "

You ready to die, you jerk?"

Koga stood, looking at him with a bored expression. Inuyasha was confused by his markings; dark blue stripes on his cheeks, ankles, wrists. And the fur on his tail was a deep black. He smelled …. Weird. Different. Like Sesshomaru… Like a Daiyokai.

"I ain't got time to play with you, pup. Why doncha' go play with your wife? Or maybe she's finally gotten bored of you?" Koga huffed, skewering some fish with his sword and then setting it over one shoulder, his tail flicking. Some snacks for Sesshomaru.

_There's that smell again._

"WHAT? She-" Before Inuyasha could finish his sentence, Koga was right up next to his neck. Giving a low sniff of his tanned skin before dodging a swing of the Tessaiga.

"What the actual hell, wolf!"The hanyou was bristling. He didn't like that Koga could move so fast, now. His form blurring from the speed. He even moved like that damn Sesshomaru. Actually, now that he thought about it… Koga had Sesshomaru's smell all over him.

Why?

"You might wanna ditch that little human village of yours for a while Inuyasha. Your smell is different. Like your yokai's tryin' to escape or… something." Koga sniffed the air again. Such a strange smell. Stronger now; he could feel that weird pull in his bowels. And in between his legs.

"What? Why?"

The wolf shrugged. " Your smell is attracting demons. Don't tell me you haven't noticed how many have been attacking the village." Only male demons, he wanted to point out, but didn't. It was so odd. Inuyasha's anatomy certainly wasn't female. But this smell he was putting out was a damn near perfect imitation of it.

A Foo-Dog female starting to go into heat. Very similar to Sesshomaru, but also different.

Inuyasha's ears went down a bit. Yeah… he'd noticed the change in smell. He didn't really know what it meant though.

"That doesn't even make any sense."

Koga sighed. Damn these humans and hanyou's; he always had to spell everything out for them.

"You smell like a female starting to go into heat. It'd be better for you to ditch that village for a while. Find somewhere high up in a cave and chill out for a week or two until your smell goes back to normal." Koga would offer his caves but… it would be unfair to his male wolves to put Inuyasha in there smelling like that.

"That's- I'm a guy, idiot! In case you haven't noticed!"

Koga rolled his eyes. " Yeah yeah pup. Whatever. You want Kagome to become demon fodder? She's your wife. I got a new, much more beautiful mate anyways." He tapped on the mark on his chest before suddenly muttering, "Speaking of which. See ya, mutt face." and rather abruptly, disappearing. Tired of Inuyasha's company, and conversation. And irritated by the way his smell was stirring his yokai.

He may be a gentleman, but he was also a wolf demon. And he wanted to spread Inuyasha's legs and sniff that area, and figure out what the hell was happening with the hanyou. So it was for the best for the conversation to end there.

"Koga! W-Wait! I'm not through with you, damn it!"

Inuyasha cried out. Trying to give chase, but it was difficult given that Koga's smell was all over this place. And that there was still pain shooting up his abdomen. Angrily, he sheathed his sword and went back to Kagome. Tracking her smell easily through the woods.

She was busy gathering herbs when he returned, stuffing as many as she could into the little container she always kept on her person.

"So? Did you find what you were looking for?"

She asked. Her tiny, slim hand slipping up under Inuyasha's heavy bangs. "You still feel so hot, love. Please. Let's at least have her look at you. Maybe Kaede can help."

Inuyasha crossed his arms into his long, red sleeves. Huffing softly and leaning into her hand a bit. It felt so cool and nice. His ears flicked with indecision before he finally relented, " Fine, fine. Whatever. Just for a bit."

Not even half an hour later, he was already regretting his decision.

Growling under his breath as he was poked and prodded and massaged by very old, gnarled fingers.

"Yer teeth are bigger, Inuyasha. N' yer temperature shouldnae be near this high." Kaede mumbled, examining the red marks the beads had left behind with some interest. They hadn't done that before… Not unless Kagome sat him about a million times. And she'd been getting much better about not taking advantage of the necklace.

Inuyasha just flicked his ears. "So what. Mebbe I gotta fever or something." Still thinking about what Koga had said earlier about his smell.

_You smell like a female about to go into heat. _

Surely the wolf was lying. But, he had to admit… things had been getting weird with his body in more ways than one.

He just hoped the old bag wouldn't notice.

"And this be the source of yer pain, Inuyasha?" She murmured, pressing down gently on his abdomen on an area that seemed sensitive. He snarled, "Yes! Damn, don't-" his snarl suddenly dropping an octave. Jagged marks appearing and his eyes filling with red before he managed to push the damn yokai back down.

Kaede and Kagome both looked extremely concerned. Inuyasha felt embarrassed, and… a little afraid. "I was gonna say, don't touch me there." He finished quietly. Clawed hands kneading on either side of him awkwardly.

"Kagome, dear. Can you please give us some time alone?"

The miko looked at her husband, squeezing his hand a bit and pressing a kiss to his forehead before nodding, " All right. Please be careful, both of you."

When she left, Kaede said softly, " I'm gonnae need ye to undress, Inuyasha."

The hanyou huffed in disbelief, " What! I ain't stripping for you, hag! And you can't make me!"

She just gave him a small glare. " If ye don't cooperate, I may give ye the wrong diagnosis. And I need tae confirm my suspicions. Kagome said ye ran into Koga nae long ago. Did he say anything regarding ye?"

Inuyasha got quiet, even more uncomfortable than before. " He said I smelled like a girl 'starting a heat' or some shit. That that was why all the demons around here are getting all riled." He snarled, " But he's a stupid dumb idiot who-" Kaede stopped him before he could begin, indicating his clothes.

A few minutes later, he was in his back, naked. Trying to ignore Kaede as she poked around in an area he very much wished to be left alone.

"This is a bit… unusual." Kaede murmured, running a finger very gently along a certain area. It was right behind all his regular manly bits. Lightly furred with that same, silver-white hair that grew from Inuyasha's belly button downwards. And, well.

It looked exactly like a perfectly formed female sex.

When her finger ran along it, Inuyasha's hair and fur bristled. An unpleasant hot shiver bursting up his spine. " F-fuck. Okay! No touching there, either! I mean it!" He snarled. The markings on his cheeks starting to flare up again.

"Just one quick thing, and then ye will be done. Aye promise." Kaede murmured. She washed her hands quickly in hot water(Kagome insisted on using hot water when treating patients. It seemed to help) then very gently, put the tiniest bit of pressure to the area.

Her finger very gently, parting pink lips.

It seemed to be a perfectly healthy set of female reproductive organs.

The effect was immidate and intense. Inuyasha was instantly in full demon form. Glaring daggers at Kaede and pulling his body away from her, spitting lowly as his legs snapped shut. Eyes red, markings jagged and feral on his cheeks. His claws dug deeply into the mat underneath him: ten perfect holes.

She pulled back too. Glad but also concerned with her answer, for she'd never seen the like before.

Inuyasha had a harder time getting his demon down, then. Needing a few minutes of cowering and shivering to get his other half under control; to keep it from lobbing Kaede's head off for daring to touch… whatever that was.

"Go ahead and get dressed, Inuyasha." She murmured gently when she saw those red eyes fade back to white. The poor hanyou looking so tired, and still trembling just a bit from the effort.

Inuyasha dressed quickly; relieved. Then, looked at her quietly.

"Well. Is it. You know. What I think it is?" He murmured.

After a moment, the older woman nodded. " Well. If ye were thinkin' it was a perfectly normal set of female organs, than eye."

Inuyasha made a face. Damn it. He hated that Koga was right. Now, he needed to kick his ass twice over. Inuyasha scratched the mark on his upper chest: it was itchy.

"And ye said it all started with the mark?"

Inuyasha nodded, and Kaede sighed; fetching Kagome back inside the hut with her so she would know what's going on. "Well, seems ye have been blessed by the guardian spirit of the Foo-Dog and Wolf clans. Though, why she decided to give ye that particular… ability, I do nae yet understand."

His fluffy dog ears twitched.

"Our guardian spirit is a deer? Why wouldn't it be a wolf or dog?"

Kaede stoked the fire quietly. " Every yokai clan has an inverse spirit; it has better clarity of balance than a wolf or dog might have. 'Tis unclouded by any sense of brotherhood or obligation. The spirit keeps the balance of the yokai in this world. If there are too many, it can cause calamity to help balance out the numbers. And if there are too few, it can grant them strange abilities… if, of course, the clan proves it is still worthy."

Inuyasha and Kagome both looked at each other before looking back at her.

"So,then. I really am… And, I should leave the village then. For a while." He murmured. Not liking the idea of being out there alone. But it was far better than putting Kagome and the rest of his friends in danger.

"Aye. And ye should take Kilala with you. Ye will be slightly more…" Kaede sighed, unsure of how best to put it. She didn't know a lot about demons, but she and Sango had chatted enough for her to get a decent idea of their cycles.

"Receptive, to male yokai attention than usual. She will keep ye out of trouble." Inuyasha made a horrified face, and Kagome looked both amused and sympathetic to her poor husband.

"You can't fuckin' be serious."

Kaede shrugged, "Unless ye'd prefer to come back to the village with a pup in ye. 'Sup to ye." And Inuyasha sat, his ears twitching in contemplation. Cheeks a burning red. This was so embarrassing. Beyond embarrassing.

"All right. I'll leave tomorrow morning." He pointed a finger at Kaede then Kagome. " And neither of you tell Miroku, or Sango, or anyone! The truth about this. I mean it. I don't care what story you make up for me being gone, but anything's better than this."

But Inuyasha didn't have the chance.

As evening fell, smoke rose in the West.

And Sesshomaru slept in her lover's arms. Oblivious as The Foo-Dog Palace was consumed in dragonfire.

A spy-bird, one of Inukimi's peeked in through the tiny crack in the rock.

Seeing Sesshomaru with the wolf.

And more importantly, able to see that curve in Sesshomaru's form from this angle. It soon flew off; nothing but wax paper with a strong spell on it. And when it returned to its mistress Inukimi, she was consumed with rage. She'd suspected there was a reason for Sesshomaru's sudden silence. But she never imagined that her own son would betray her in this manner. Fraternizing with a filthy wolf cur. Worse yet, carrying a wolf pup.

And decided that it was time for Sesshomaru to be… relieved of her bastard. Permanently.

A stray dragon, Ryuu the silver, unsatisfied with the destruction, went after Inuyasha's village; dessert for the main course of destroying the Foo-Dog line.

A feral Inuyasha ran through the forest as the sun rose in the sky, in full demon form. Pulling one of Kagome's sacred arrows from his shoulder with an angry huff and chucking it at the nearest tree. Shuddering and licking his burned palm in pain.

Searching.

He had to find that wolf. The wolf was the only one worthy to relieve him of this burning pain, and to mingle with the blood of the Inu No Taisho.

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Koga was busy taking a bath in the stream nearby. Sesshomaru was fed, and currently dozing by the fire. She would be ready to return to the wolf demon tribe tomorrow. Her belly was so cute; starting to pop out a bit now that she was getting fed well. The pup inside taking advantage of the extra food. Any day now, they'd start hearing the heartbeat, and Koga couldn't wait.

He had a feeling it might be twins. She was pretty big for only three months. And**_ very_** hungry.

And he was looking forward to getting his ass beaten by Sesshomaru if his instincts were correct.

Inuyasha's demon found the wolf after some time. It was hard to get close without him noticing; Koga's hearing and sense of smell was ridiculously heightened. More than once he'd almost ruined it; hearing silence from the wolf as he lifted his nose and sniffed.

And then relief when the wolf went back to his business.

The demon hung back; concentrating. Blood from his 'human' mother bubbling up, but only a very specific kind. Far back, Izayoi had some fox demon blood. Fox demons were known for their transformative illusions after all.

And it would be perfect for this little game.

There was no way the wolf would relieve Inuyasha looking like this.

Inuyasha's form flickered; then solidified. Looking exactly like Sesshomaru… though, the tail was quite a bit shorter. He'd been able to smell that the Foo-Dog was in female form yesterday… and, that she was pregnant with the wolf's pup.

Inuyasha's demon sniffed carefully along her skin; making sure he smelled like Sesshomaru. Checking the clothes, the fake body and making sure he couldn't feel his hard hanyou body underneath. It should be real enough to fool that wolf, as long as he kept concentration. Which was going to be difficult for what he needed the wolf for, but ah well.

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Koga paused when Sesshomaru approached. A little surprised to see her out and about; he'd been sure she was slipping back into another food coma this morning.

"Hey babe. How are you feeling? I'll be out in just a sec." He murmured, dipping under the water to wash off the soap. It was a deeper stream: standing up, the water lapped around his thighs. The banks were coated in soft, weak grass and the occasional cluster of cattails.

Surprised when she came up very close to him when he popped back out of the stream.

"I'm cold, wolf." 'Sesshomaru' pouted, sitting down close to him and grabbing his jawline. Pulling him into a kiss. She tasted a little different this morning; and her smell was… intense. Heady. He felt like he was having a hard time concentrating, all the sudden.

The whites of his eyes giving a pulse of bright blue.

Inuyasha's demon was very careful. Keeping his 'sesshomaru' smell very strong. Lacing it ever so slightly with the heat-smell to keep Koga's nose confused… and drunk on the smell of a Foo-Dog in heat.

"Mmh. You're cold? I could-" Koga's eyes closed as she pulled him into another kiss. Her hands snaking to the nape of his neck as she laid out onto her back. So silver and lovely in the short grass.

'She' leaned into his pointed ear, tracing it lightly with her claws and humming, " You should warm me up." biting a line up his neck.

Koga shivered; her hot teeth quite the contrast to his legs, still lapping with the icy water. He slipped out, tail still dripping rainbow streams as he purred, " Damn, that's all you need to say. C'mere, beautiful." And Koga pulled 'her' underneath him.

It was lucky that he Marked Inuyasha, first. Some weird instinct in him forcing him to bite down and pump 'her' full of his venom once more. Inuyasha sighed softly in pleasure, tilting her head back and lacing his claws through Koga's dark hair.

Enjoying the way it burned in his veins; destroying him at first, but then lacing with that demon blood most beautifully. Inuyasha's heartbeat becoming deeper, and stronger. Every cell inside him changing to become a more suitable mate to the wolf.

And when his venom claimed 'her', a soul flooded that mindless yokai under Inuyasha's skin. At the same time, calling back Inuyasha's human soul, which had been long gone.

He was a unique hanyou… And it was amazing Inuyasha could even survive being marked by someone like Koga.

Had the wolf not done that, Sesshomaru would have died of the poison of Koga's betrayal. But yokai could take multiple partners: and as Koga's mark bloomed on the back of Inuyasha's neck, it would protect Sesshomaru from any ill effects.

Koga took her multiple times, in multiple ways. Wolf demons didn't need much recharge time between orgasms. In fact, Koga usually didn't bother pulling out, unless it was to switch positions.

Inuyasha was thoroughly enjoying himself.

It was so interesting to be on the receiving end, for once. Trapped underneath someone. Feeling Koga's claws digging into his skin. That appendage so deep inside him that if felt like it was halfway to his stomach. One hot wave after another of his seed in Inuyasha's brand-new womb.

_Please, wolf. _

The demon thought in a daze; his head tucked to Koga's shoulder and panting. Sliding in time with his thrusts and the rocking of their hips.

So hard…

It was hard to concentrate.

_Give me strong, beautiful pups. Like you._

It was funny though; Koga's yokai was acting strange about the whole thing. And she seemed to… well. To put it bluntly, he knew what Sesshomaru liked; and how she liked to be fucked.

That morning, her body reacted differently. Liking different things than usual.

And once- just once, when his eyes were half-closed Koga swore that he saw ears on 'her' head. Little, white puppy ears. But when he opened his eyes again, and felt along the top of her head, they were gone.

When he was finished with her, they were both tired. Inuyasha much more so than Koga. Who really, just needed a snack break and maybe a power nap. He was cuddling her close, and Inuyasha's demon was having a hard time keeping the illusion up. He needed to get free of the wolf before the jig was up, but he was totally spent.

Inuyasha's demon had no idea the wolf would have that much energy. He wasn't even one hundred percent sure he'd be able to hobble his way back to that damn human village.

'Sesshomaru' set her claws gently on Koga's cheek. The Foo-Dog demon's new soul feeling a strange new emotion; guilt. The wolf seemed so content and happy. Pressing lazy kisses to her and growling in that low happy way.

But his love was not for Inuyasha. He'd stolen it. Tricked him in one of the worst ways a man could be tricked.

"I'm feeling a bit ill. You should finish your bath. I will meet you back at home, wolf." 'Sesshomaru' murmured. Her voice very soft and low. Koga took her hand with his and kissed her knuckles, " All right. Please be careful, sweetheart. I thought I smelled that damn hanyou around here earlier."

'Sesshomaru' smirked. " I do not fear that mangy dog." And slipped gently out of the wolf's arms. Dressing and making sure Koga was distracted with bathing before heading off.

Inuyasha's demon later, bathed himself. He could feel that that damn human soul had somehow returned to his body and was bubbling up. And even though Inuyasha only had a hanyou's sense of smell, he stank of Koga.

That, combined with the smell between his legs, would be more than enough to tip off the hanyou of what had happened.

The hanyou's legs shook slightly as he bathed. His lower back ached. His legs ached. And that poor, newly-formed sex between his legs pulsed gently. Pleasantly sore.

Scrubbing his thighs and torso hard with a chunk of 'soap' Kagome had insisted he keep up his sleeve. And merely splashing up water between his legs and those other very sore places.

It had been worth it, though. His ears flicked, the jagged purple markings on his cheeks standing out against red eyes.

His claws resting gently on his abdomen for a moment. He could feel it. The horrible heat was gone. Replaced with that wonderful smell; like baking bread, or fresh milk. Inuyasha's ears folded smoothly on his head like the delicate wings of a bird.

**_Finally. There is a pup worthwhile blooming inside me. _**

Finally he'd be able to pass on his demonic blood. That stupid miko was always purifying his demonic blood; only carrying that stupid human pup. Not allowing any demonic blood whatsoever take a hold inside of her cruel belly.

His other half was such a fool for choosing such a person as a mate. But not matter. He'd fixed it. And even better; the wolf had given him his mark.

Inuyasha's clawed hand went to the nape of his neck, his head bowing forward a little. Lips showing the tiniest of smiles. It was quiet and cool where he was. The forest thick and silent. Rays of sunshine breaking through onto Inuyasha's caramel skin, spreading golden patterns on tanned skin. The occasional trickle of glittering water dripping down hard, sculpted muscles.

**_I belong to him now. A wolf._**

The purple stripes on his cheek matched those on his wrists, hips, ankles. Bursting from caramel flesh, neon and gorgeous. Paired with his silver hair, wrapping so sensually between his shoulders and around the curves in his chest, the demon was a wonder to behold. His thick black lashes catching the sunlight just so… beginning to fill with golden once more. A fallen angel surely; or a god.

Inuyasha looked around in confusion and shivered.

Shaking himself free of water, slipping on his robes, and making to run towards the village.

Yelping in surprise and tumbling head over heels when his legs told him that he was not allowed to run. The spot between his legs agreeing wholeheartedly.

His human blood making what was a pleasant ache, an intense pain.

He whimpered, massaging his inner and outer thighs in confusion. It hurt so badly! Where was he? Where the hell was Kagome? And Toshi?

The last thing he remembered was the dragon attacking the village. And how, when he'd gone to slice it to pieces with the Tessaiga, it'd shattered into a million glittering pieces.

Inuyasha didn't remember a damn thing after that.

He went for his beads; confused when he no longer felt them around his neck.

But on the bright side, he didn't feel that awful heat anymore. He only felt it in that one specific spot low in his belly. His body shuddering when his claws ran along that flat flesh. So sensitive. He could feel his yokai there; a tight little ball of terrible demonic energy.

Odd. He usually didn't stay in one spot like that.

Inuyasha growled lowly. Something was wrong. Something had happened.

He felt so… weird.

Full. But he knew he hadn't eaten anything in a while.

And why was that heat suddenly gone? Kaede and Koga had said it'd take a week or two to go away. Inuyasha groaned and rubbed both of his ears against his skull, in an attempt at self-comfort. Hopefully Miroku and Sango and everyone else would have answers for him.

Biting back his pain, Inuyasha walked to the village. The movement slowly easing the ache enough for him to get back to his usual running pace after about ten or fifteen minutes.

When he got back, the village was … well, a fourth of it was totally gone. Sango, Miroku and the others came to greet him with a degree of caution he didn't like at all.

"Where's Kagome? Where's Toshi? What the hell happened?" He whispered, looking around. Suddenly spotting the sleek body of a dragon. Thick silver scales and a black mane. Huge black claws. It was stretched along the length of the town; and partially harvested. Both the wolf tribe and the humans were taking as much of it as they could; it was good meat. And dragon hide, teeth, and bones made for some of the greatest weapons and armor available.

Miroku put a hand on Inuyasha shoulder and said gently, "Let's go talk." His purple eyes were deep with concern and Inuyasha felt a rock of dread settle deep in his belly.

"By the way? How did you manage to get a hold of your demon side without the Tessaiga?"

Inuyasha paused. He'd been so focused on finding his family he hadn't really thought about it one way or the other. His hand went to the back of his neck, scratching unconsciously.

"I… I dunno, I don't really remember…"

Miroku's hand went to Inuyasha's thick curtain of hair. Pulling it back just a bit.

There was a black wolf on Inuyasha's neck. Snarling, baring its fangs. A single blue eye glittering maliciously.

Inuyasha had been Marked by some demon. Must have been a powerful mark too… he was surprised his hanyou friend had survived venom like that. Actually… the only black wolf with blue eyes Miroku knew of around here was Koga, but. That couldn't be right. Right?

He let Inuyasha's hair slide back over the Mark, concealing it. The hanyou growling, "What? What is it?" And Miroku shrugging it off. He'd have to talk to Sango about it later. But his friend had enough on his plate right now.

Inuyasha followed Miroku back inside one of the huts. Miraculously, Sango's had been one of the ones that had not been destroyed by the dragon.

Turns out, the shattering of the Tessaiga had caused Inuyasha's demon to go on a rampage. At one point, going after Kagome and Toshi. And hen she'd tried to 'sit' him ,the beads had exploded off of him like gunpowder.

"The minute the beads broke, she shot you, and this weird… pillar appeared. It was like a huge white pillar came down from the sky; and another one showed up at the bone eater's well. Kagome and Toshi.. the best we can figure, she's back in the human world."

"Did I hurt her." Inuyasha whispered.

Miroku and Sango looked uncomfortable. Sango petting the twin's hair and adjusting the little boy on her back.

" We were a little busy with the dragon, but yes. I remember seeing blood on her arm right before she disappeared. She would never have shot you unless she'd tried everything else first. You know how much she loves you, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha stood, his expression hidden by his bangs.

"I'm going."

Miroku caught Inuyasha right before he left.

"Inuyasha. Are you sure this is best? Imagine if you were in her position. Would you really want to see you, right now?"

The hanyou paused, his ears low and trembling. "I…" He knew his friend was right. Golden eyes stared at Miroku in desperation. "I have to know she's okay, Miroku. I won't go near her, not yet but… I gotta see her."

The monk nodded and let him go, watching his red robes disappear into the forest before he returned to Sango's side.

He wrapped an arm around her waist, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"How did he stop his demon side? Inuyasha's never been able to take over control like that before." Sango whispered, still totally confused. The last time she'd seen Inuyasha, he'd been on a bloodthirsty rampage. Only stopping when he seemed to catch an interesting smell far off in the wild and randomly, completely abandoning his mission of killing all the villagers.

"He didn't. He was marked by a wolf demon." Miroku said softly. " I think… I think our friend had his soul called back when the venom claimed him. It might have given his other half a soul, too. That would explain the strange behavior."

Sango looked shocked. " A mark? What did it look like?"

"It was a black wolf, with blue eyes. The only one I can think of is Koga, but that can't be right…" Both looked at each other, lost deep in thought. Could it be possible? Their hanyou friend tied to the wolf in such a way?

"Isn't that stuff usually reserved for mates, though?"

"Yes." Sango said softly, equally confused. "Sometimes demons use it for siblings if a father or mother is killed and cannot protect them but…"

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Inuyasha tried, over and over again, to go down the well. He wasn't even sure how many times he'd crawled out, only to jump back in. But the barrier wasn't opening, and it was getting dark.

He crouched on his hands and knees. And cursed, and begged, and cried.

His forearms dirty as he whispered, " C'mon, Kagome. I know you're in there. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. You don't have to forgive me… just let me know you're okay. Please just let me see you and Toshi alive and happy somewhere. Please…"

But it did not open.

Tears dripped down to his clenched fists. And he wondered if that warm, thin heat had been just what her blood had felt like on his claws. Then, abruptly, pushed that thought away.

He laid at the bottom of the well for quite some time. Hands crossed over his belly as he looked up at the square of dusk above: a dull orange, fading quickly to that dark blue and inevitable black of darkness.

His ears flicking back and forth on his skull. Concentrating on random things; a root near his left shoulder. The cry of a heron far off to the East. The weird way his yokai was all balled up in his abdomen. That particular spot on him so much warmer than the rest of his skin.

_Hot. _

He shifted around uncomfortably. But the shifting didn't make the feeling go away. Should he ask Miroku about it? Or Kaede? There seemed no need for him to leave the village now. He wasn't emitting that strange smell from before. In fact, his smell was back to normal. At least, that's what his hanyou nose told him.

He hadn't even smelled a demon this entire evening, which was unusual.

His claws drummed along the spot. Tapping out no particular pattern as he thought about Kagome, and Toshi. Letting his mind wander. A faint redness creeping up into his eyes as his yokai whispered:

_Hungry. _

Inuyasha blinked in surprise. He was _starving. _It'd hit him so suddenly. His mouth was full of spit, and his fangs ached. His stomach cramping uncomfortably. Raw meat. That's what he wanted.

He hopped out of the well, running down the first thing he could find.

Tackling the grey-striped yokai cougar to the ground. Ignoring a slash to the face and yanking its head to the side, instantly killing it. Only calming after he'd eaten two legs, and a decent majority of the ribs and internal organs.

He looked down at himself in surprise and disgust.

_Ugh. What a mess. _

He stood. Gave a burp and stretched.

_Good thing ol' Kagome can't see me like this. _

She didn't understand his cravings for raw meat, and found it disgusting. So he almost never ate it around her, or any of his human friends. He went to wash the blood off of his hands, face, and neck. That was one nice thing about the fire rat robes; blood always blended right in.

The birds and other predators around here would finish what he'd started. But he had to admit… his cravings for raw meat, the natural yokai diet, hadn't hit him that hard in ages.

He licked his hand, drew his spit over the claw marks down his face. They'd probably heal in a day or two, and weren't too deep. When Miroku and Sango asked him about it later, he just pretended he'd run into a low-level demon.

His appetites were none of their business, and he didn't want to worry them.

He decided to stay at Kaede's house until Kagome came back: his own was destroyed and with Miroku and Sango being married, he wanted to give them privacy.

He kneaded the little mat she'd given him with his claws. Turning around a few times before settling. His head tucked low and his legs drawn all the way up so that he was almost nothing but a ball of silver and red.

And Koga's pup grew.

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Sesshomaru caught a strange smell on Koga, when he returned. A smell like Sesshomaru's but… there was a tinge of something.. odd.

"Mm? What is it?" Koga purred as she sniffed along his collarbone. His neck. It smelled like her… almost. Not quite right.

"I'm… uncertain. It my scent but its…" Sesshomaru's nose wrinkled as she sniffed, her yokai flaring up briefly in jealousy and anger. But thanks to that stinky soap, she just couldn't pin it down. It was all but gone; only the occasional strange whiff of it.

"Is it the soap?"

"… Perhaps." Sesshomaru murmured ,licking and rubbing the smell off of him wherever she found it. She didn't like it. "Do not use that soap anymore. I detest it. It smells like that hanyou."

_What?_

For a moment, Koga felt a strange fear. Hadn't he smelled the hanyou earlier this morning too? Something was wrong. Something wasn't adding up.

Koga's own nose wrinkled a bit. " Oh. Gross. All right." His mind still racing.

None of it was adding up.

"Are you all right? Were you able to keep breakfast down okay?" He said softly. A few fingers resting lightly on her forearm. Her brow raised slightly, confused. Had she mentioned she felt ill? She hadn't thought so.

"I'm fine. I was slightly nauseous this morning but the tea helped. " She murmured, pulling him close and wrapping her tail around him. The fur bristling and smoothing over and over. Her yokai was pissed about something but she couldn't figure it out. And needed him close.

Needed him to smell only like her.

**_Mine_**_. _

_Mine. My mate._

Koga made a soft sound; only his ponytail and head showing; she had him pinned against her chest. The rest of him drowning in her fur and silks and arms and legs.

"…? Sesshomaru?"

She growled lowly for a minute; eyes glowing a piercing red. Grooming back his long black hair with her tongue; yanking the headband out of the way. Her growls low and long and angry. He stayed quiet, letting her do what she wanted.

Moving his head occasionally so she could get at any patch if skin or hair she hadn't managed to yet.

She finally calmed after a little while. Eyes fluttering a bit before fading back to that beautiful molten gold. Meeting his with such softness. Eyes that burned his very soul.

He wanted to drown in her acidic golden sunset.

"Mine?" She whispered gently once more. Nuzzling him with such tenderness. Maroon cheek stripes against dark blue. Dark skin and light. So different and yet, so perfectly the same.

"I'm yours beautiful girl. Always." He whispered back, reassuringly. Cupping her face with his claws and pressing in a very light kiss. And then, she slowly calmed. Her tail dropping back to the floor only when that horrid scent was erased from every inch of him.

The next day, they returned to the wolf demon tribe. And Sesshomaru was not aware of the destruction of the Palace until many days later.

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Read and review please!

Misses Critique- Haha! Yeah, I realized I was basically doing a copy-paste too, and I don't want this story to be that way so yeah xD

Smiles- Awesome. Thanks for being patient with me. I think this will be better. ~


	7. Chapter 7

It wasn't too long after that Sesshomaru went to visit Rin. She felt a little uncomfortable doing so in this damn female form, but it'd probably be the last opportunity to see the little human for long.

The smell of the pup was already starting to attract unwanted attention, and Sesshomaru did not want to put Rin in any danger.

Koga had also pointed out the smells of fire and a dragon corpse on their way back. Sesshomaru had no sense that anything had happened to her; those humans Inuyasha hung around with usually were fairly good about protecting her. As was Ah-Un. But it would settle her nerves to see her well.

"Sesshomaru!"

Rin always seemed to know when the Foo-Dog was around. Sesshomaru caught her deftly; doing a half-spin to slow down her momentum- her arm under Rin's rear and legs. Making sure the energetic girl wasn't smushing her slight belly.

She was thirteen now: all legs and arms it seemed like. Slowly starting to get that hourglass figure that Sesshomaru always suspected she would have. She was wearing one of the kimonos Sesshomaru had bought for her: black, with orange and red blossoms along the sleeves and left shoulder.

"Rin. Are you well?" Sesshomaru murmured, adjusting her a little as they walked down the dirt path in the center of town. Koga was close behind, biting back growls as he leaned his chin on Sesshomaru's other shoulder.

The wolf usually didn't mind Sesshomaru's human girl, but… He didn't like her being so rough with his mate. About a fourth of the town was indeed destroyed; Sesshomaru could still smell the dragonfire. But it looked like the humans were already rebuilding; there were stacks of wood near former homes; and a few were already setting up framing.

"Uh Huh. This big scary dragon came, and Miroku and Sango and everyone else fought it and it died! I wasn't there though. Ah-Un ran off and he wouldn't come back to the village. So I just slept in one of your caves with him overnight."

Sesshomaru raised a slim silver brow. " I see. And how are you? Are you enjoying your human life here?"

She'd been right to leave the dragon with her, then. She'd have to remember to give him some treats later for keeping Rin safe. As Rin chatted, Sesshomaru noticed Inuyasha's little human friends helping out. The hanyou was busy at work as well. Though, he'd much preferred to go get his sword fixed by Totosai, he felt like he owed everyone else at least some work getting the village fixed.

And, to make up for trying to kill everyone in his demon form.

Inuyasha and Miroku were on a rooftop: their clothing rolled down to their waist to keep out of the way. Weaving new mats for the rooftops and nailing on new shingles. Koga paused slightly when he noticed the hanyou, giving a sniff.

The heat-smell was gone.

"Hey! What are you looking at wolf! Keep moving!" Inuyasha snarled, lining up a nail and his hammer. Soft, white dog ears pinned back in irritation.

"You, idiot. Who'd you end up mating, then? Probably some gross ogre demon." Koga teased while Sesshomaru rolled her eyes. Continuing her soft, quiet conversation with Rin and ignoring the two as they bristled and barked at each other.

Inuyasha snarled. " I didn't mate anyone, you disgusting wolf! It just went away on its own. Betya didn't ever think of that, didja?" He pulled the hammer back, accidentally hitting his own thumb. Inuyasha yelped, tucking the red thumb to his chest and giving a low growl.

Koga felt a very sudden, intense urge to comfort the hanyou. Without a thought, hopping up to the roof next the hanyou and examining the injured thumb. Miroku watched the interaction between the two quietly. Glancing back down at his work whenever their gazes strayed in his direction.

"You should be fine. Gimme that shit." The wolf's snarled, finishing the few that Inuyasha was set to nail down quick as a wink. So fast that Inuyasha didn't even get a chance to stop him. Yet even as he did it, he was totally confused as to why.

_What am I doing?_

Inuyasha was equally confused.

_What the fuck is he doing? Why is he helping me? _His white fur and hair bristling and smoothing.

Sitting in dumb silence for a moment. Ears perked. Alternating between curiosity and hostility.

"Cant even nail a few roof panels without hurting yourself. Fuckin' weak." The wolf scoffed. Inuyasha's hammer and nails were back in his clawed hands as Koga added, " Also, you're wrong. That's not how heat works, fool. You must have mated **_someone_**. It's the only way that shit ends early."

"Well I didn't. Dumb idiot." Inuyasha said. Wanting it to come out as certain. Instead, it almost came out as unsure. His throat felt weirdly dry, just then. There was a large chunk of time missing in Inuyasha's memory, and… he didn't like what Koga was implying.

Koga paused. "Where's that stupid sword of yours?"

And Inuyasha's ears pinned back. Shit. He'd hoped the wolf wouldn't notice.

"None of your business, that's what. What are you, my mom?" He snarled, his fur and hair bristling. Whatever Koga's presence was doing to him, he didn't like it.

"Whatever, man." Koga huffed, tail flicking a little with irritation. His instincts were still stirring. The urge to protect and care for the disgusting hanyou was strong, as strong as they were with Sesshomaru. And inside his mind, a seed of suspicion was blooming.

Inuyasha glanced away; he felt… strange.

Koga's smell wasn't as bad as usual. It was almost… comforting.

Inuyasha rubbed the two deep scabs where Koga's fangs had sunk into his jugular vein, his brows drawing together slightly in pain.

_Hurts. Why does my neck hurt so much?_

Koga leaned in, about to examine his neck, when Sesshomaru glanced up at him. Her eyes narrowing in a way that told the wolf she didn't like him giving so much attention to the hanyou.

"Whoops. Bye, mutt."

The wolf's tail hit the back of Inuyasha's head as he hopped down. Then, he nuzzled his cheek against Sesshomaru's and growled softly in apology until her hackles settled a bit. The hanyou swore, rubbing the back of his head and snarling when he smelled Koga's scent quite strongly.

Koga had hit him with one of the glands on his tail: unconsciously marking the hanyou as his.

Inuyasha watched them go, and felt a surge of … well, he wasn't sure. Jealousy? Anger? It felt awkward watching them together. They didn't even have to speak; their body language was so smooth, so animalistic that there was no need for words.

He wished that Kagome could communicate with him like that. His heart twinged. He missed her so much. It had only been a few days but he felt strangely lonely. More so than he ever remembered feeling. He'd been checking the well every day but it remained shut.

Miroku watched the hanyou with interest and some sympathy. It was pretty obvious to him that a part of the hanyou felt relaxed and comfortable around the wolf in a way he'd never seen from Inuyasha before. Usually, they were at each other's throats; snarling and yapping.

But he was obviously, also confused why his body was reacting that way.

That mark on Inuyasha's neck was definitely Koga's. He and Sango would have to find a way to tell him soon; he deserved to know.

"So when is the puppy gonna be born?" Rin asked excitedly. Sesshomaru murmured softly, " Probably midwinter. Or early spring." And shifted her just a bit in her arms; pausing for a moment from their walk. Rin waved at Koga just a bit and the wolf gave a little nod. Pressing a protective kiss to her swan-white temple just as Rin asked, "Koga? Are you the daddy?"

And the wolf smirked, "Mm hmm. This is my pup. So try not to tackle Sesshomaru onto the ground next time we come visit, okay?" His tanned, clawed hand stroking the side of Sesshomaru's swelled belly with a single finger. His smirk widening a bit when Sesshomaru growled slightly at him.

She was very protective of the new tummy. But Rin, of course, was allowed to touch it whenever.

Rin looked genuinely sorry. "Ah! I'm really sorry! I couldn't see it under all of Sesshomaru's sashes and stuff." She set her own tiny hand curiously on the bump and exclaimed, "Wow! It's really warm. How come?"

Koga took her tiny little human hand in his own. " 'Cause I'm warm. Wolves have higher temperatures than dogs do. It helps keep us warm in the winter and keeps diseases away." She was utterly fascinated and ran her soft little fingers over his claws gently for a moment. Being careful not to slice open a finger accidentally.

"So cool." She settled against Sesshomaru's shoulder, and Koga withdrew his arm as they continued their walk.

"You're so lucky, Sesshomaru. Your pup is going to be so handsome. Or beautiful maybe, if it's a girl. You and Koga are both so pretty." She murmured, starting a braid in Sesshomaru's long silver hair. The Foo-Dog's ears went pink at the compliment, and Koga felt his ego inflating to dangerous levels.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Mm hmm!" Rin said enthusiastically before asking Sesshomaru, " Do you think its gonna look like you? Or Koga? Or maybe a little bit of both?"

Sesshomaru's ears went from pink to a deep scarlet as she whispered in Rin's ear, " I would prefer if the pup looked like its father; with his blue eyes." Hoping that Koga hadn't heard. Rin nodded, " Yeah, that would be really cute. Ohh, I wish I could see it already. I hate waiting!"

"As do I."

The Foo-Dog then set Rin down nearby one of the streams and said, " Now. Show me what Kaede's been teaching you." And watched her run off, her yellow eyes soft. Sesshomaru folded her legs and sat, with Koga beside her. Their tails folding over each other in quiet contentment.

She still wasn't used to his warmth beside her. It felt odd; he wanted to be around her almost all the time and she was used to being alone. But it did feel better than …before.

_Its beginning to feel natural. _

_Having the wolf at my side. _

Sesshomaru thought. Startling at first when she felt the weight of Koga's head on her shoulder. "What are you-"

"Resting. Just resting. Calm down." He muttered, closing his eyes once more. Now that she thought of it… he'd been working so hard for her. Koga was always up way before her, and out late into the night. Hunting for her and gathering herbs, curing pelts; making sure she was safe and warm and fed.

He hadn't been eating or sleeping much. Too wound up taking care of her to bother. She took in his smell.

Yeah. He was tired. And a little hungry, too.

Sesshomaru leaned her head against his after a moment. _He's working himself to the bone to be a good mate. And what have I given him in return? Nothing. Running from him like a spoiled child. Putting myself and our pup in danger. _

_I feel …_

Guilty. That was the emotion. It was a foreign one to the Lord of the West; hard for Sesshomaru to even identify since it had been absent most of her life.

"Koga."

"Mm." His voice was rough and dazed. Already half-asleep.

"Thank you…You are a good mate to me. I will… try to reciprocate." Sesshomaru's voice was a whisper. Each word hard to get out. She had no experience with these things… had no guidance about the give and take of relationships or how to maintain them. But she did feel the imbalance. Her Mark helped her.

Koga looked over at his mate in surprise. Shifting around a bit, he wrapped an arm lazily around the Foo-Dog. Being careful not to touch that adorable little curve.

"You are doing that already." The wolf pointed out. " You'd never let me hold you like this before."

Sesshomaru got quiet, looking out at the water and realizing the wolf was right. Before, Sesshomaru would not tolerate anyone to touch his esteemed self except for Rin. A handshake was probably the most intimate thing he'd let someone do. Not even the servants were allowed to assist in dressing, undressing, bathing, or anything else that involved touching Sesshomaru's skin.

But he didn't really mind Koga's touch.

The wolf was gentle. Slow. Careful with his claws.

"And, you decided to give me my pup." He added, quietly. " I'll never be able to repay you for that gift."

"Not every life is a gift. For example, that half-breed had no choice over his condition." Sesshomaru's claws wandered thoughtfully over the little lump in her form. She was starting to feel shapes, outlines. Starting to be able to tell what was her womb and the water inside, and what was a new life.

Starting to feel faintly… bubbly.

_It won't be long now. _

Her body told her. Soon, she'd start picking up movement. It was too little right now, but something in her instincts told her it had already been moving inside her for some time.

"If this little pup is a wolfdog- especially a Dayokai- I did it no favors by bringing it into the world. It will be hunted by my mother, its head a prize to be staked on a palace wall. And if it is a female…" The Daiyokai shuddered a bit. Koga could feel his teeth thickening up in his jaw, and his eyes were going that hazy blue.

"I will kill your mother if she comes anywhere near our pup." He snarled; glancing up at his mate for permission. Near quivering.

Hugging the curve in Sesshomaru's belly to his chest protectively when she gave the slightest nod. The hair on the nape of his neck spreading, a thick ruff of black fur wrapping around his neck in agitation.

His yokai form beginning to leak through.

Sesshomaru shuddered, "Koga!Gentle." growling at him as his grip loosened slightly.

"Sorry."  
She was surprised by his sudden anger and hostility... but it pleased her yokai.

Sesshomaru took a deep shaking breath.

So strong! Her damn instincts went crazy whenever he touched where the pup was sleeping. The yokai under her skin screaming about his claws- that he was a threat.

_This is his pup. He has every right to interact with it.  
__Calm down._

The dog laced a few fingers through his ponytail, and could feel his arms tight around Sesshomaru's back; claws splayed as if some unseen enemy was near. Koga murmured,"We can teach our pup to be stronger than either of us. And if it is a little girl, she'll be as swift as the wind and deadlier than nightshade. And she'll never be touched unless she allows it." Koga's whites were dark blue; his irises matching the pale spring sky.

"Just like her mother."

Sesshomaru smirked just a little, and lifted Koga's chin with a claw. Petting a thumb affectionately across one of his cheek stripes in such a lovely velvet way, that her warmth was gone as soon as it had settled against his skin.

"You truly do believe this pup is a gift. That you can protect it. Make its life worth living." Sesshomaru murmured in quiet wonder.

"Yes. Foo-Dog, wolf, wolfdog… I don't care. I can protect our pup, and I **_will_**. I'll die for it. I don't even know our pup yet but I love it more than life itself. And I will do anything to keep our baby safe. " He said passionately, starting to relax again. The fur on his neck beginning to recede.

Sesshomaru was reminded then, of her own words.

_Nothing could be worth the cost of her life. _

_Nothing at all!_

And shivered.

_This wolf… _

Sesshomaru moved her leg a bit, propping her elbow up on her leg and saying softly,

"Well, you'd better get used to referring to it in plural, then."

"Hm?"

Sesshomaru sighed in an amused sort of way. Her eyes so softly golden. "Just close your eyes Koga. And lay an ear on me."

The wolf did so, his ear giving a little twitch. Ah! Finally! He could hear the heartbeat. She must have picked it up earlier than he did. It was funny, though. There was a little bit of a murmur, or an echo, or…

Twins.

There were three heartbeats: Sesshomaru's, and two that were so small, so strong, so fast.

Koga set a clawed hand on her cheek.

And for the first time, he was the one shaking.

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When Rin returned, she was greeted with quite the sight.

The two Daiyokai were standing. chatting softly; having noticed her presence a while ago but not deemed it a threat. The long grass was waving at their knees; the sunlight catching the brilliant silver of Sesshomaru, and the deep blue highlights in Koga's black hair.

And Rin wondered why demons were the most beautiful creatures she'd ever seen.

Koga's tail was wagging like crazy, and Sesshomaru's was tucked shyly over her own feet. The very end, twitching with restrained happiness. He picked her up under the arms, twirling her around a few times before letting her slide slowly back to the ground. Catching her in another kiss on the way down; her hair seeming to float like a cloud before settling around her shoulders once more.

His tanned hand cupping her cheek.

And he looked at her the way all women want to be looked at by the ones they love.

"I love you."

His voice was a velvet rumble that made even Rin blush, though she didn't know why.

"I know."

It was Sesshomaru that reached out this time; nuzzling a line up Koga's blue war stripes to his temple. A purr soaring in his chest as his hand snaked around to the small of her back. Lost in their own little world until Rin said very softly, "… Sesshomaru?"

Feeling guilty when the two looked down with mild surprise. The spell broken.

"Show me what you've brought me, Rin." Sesshomaru said, leaning down with interest. Rin quickly spread out a bunch of different herbs in the grass. Naming off what they did, and what you had to do to prepare them. She got a few only slightly wrong, which Sesshomaru and Koga gently corrected.

In fact, the wolf had a surprisingly deep knowledge of herbs. Apparently, all wolf tribe leaders took lessons so that, when soldiers came back wounded, or females went into labor when their mates were away, they would be able to help.

And all too soon, it was time to go.

After all, there was one more destination Sesshomaru needed to get to.

Her instincts had been setting of warnings to stay far away from the Foo-Dog Palace these last few days. Koga had been right ; her yokai only cared about 2 things. Keeping that wolf around and keeping her pups safe.

But the 'warning' feeling had died down to a trickle. And she needed to know what happened to her home.

But when they got to the brim of the hillside, where Sesshomaru had a clear view, she wished she'd stayed in ignorance.

It was burned to the ground. Only the foundations of the structures were left; everything else was black and red and still smoking faintly. It was well-known that dragonfire was the most destructive of all fires: burning for days or weeks on end unless there was a heavy rain.

Sesshomaru's heart dropped into her stomach, and she swallowed thickly.

_I could have prevented this. I should have been here. I…_

"My home."

Her voiced cracked slightly, and she felt the warm weight of his arm around her shoulders.

"You don't have to go down there."

She got comfortable there in his arm for a moment.

"I do, I need to… see it. I need to see if there is anything worth saving."

She could feel his hesitation. Feel the way his shoulders were tense and raised. Expecting danger.

"Please stay close to me, dame." Her hackles raised slightly: smoothing back down when she realized it was not an order. A request. A mate wanting to keep her safe. It was the least she could grant him after running all over the territories like that.

"I will."

They shot down the hillside together; a shadow of black, and another of pure white.

It was even worse up close: there were still the bodies of so many Foo-Dog soldiers and dragon soldiers left. And an innumerable number of horses. Tenseiga was rattling like crazy at her hip.

"Revive the Foo-Dog soldiers who can still return. And their horses." Sesshomaru murmured, unsheathing her sword. Koga watched it with surprise as it darted all around the piles; men suddenly getting to their feet and standing. Looking around with confusion and tracing the areas where they knew they'd been cut in two.

One of the first revived was Tiao-Wen, Sesshomaru's bodyguard and also, a soldier whenever his Lord was not around.

"Tiao-Wen. Tell me what happened here."

Sesshomaru said quietly. The Foo-Dog had a soft brown tail with a white stripe in it. It was curled over his left shoulder and he was gasping and shaking.

"J-Just a second." He whispered. Not at all expecting to be back in the world of the living. Sesshomaru tapped out a pattern on her crossed arms impatiently.

"Three of the four dragon brothers attacked us at night without warning, my … Lady." He began, unsure of how to address Sesshomaru in her current state. She gave the tiniest of nods, and he went on. " We were betrayed. Inukimi and her servants, as well as the Foo-Dogs who maintain the barrier, left just before the attack. We were… unable to protect the Palace without her help. And she'd depleted our numbers to pathetic levels, saying it was an 'unnecessary strain' on the Foo-Dog finances."

Sesshomaru murmured, "And the citizens?"

"We got them all out into the tunnels, my Lady. They are all in the surrounding yokai cities."

Sesshomaru breathed a sigh of relief, and thought about Inukimi's motivation. "She meant to be rid of all of you. To be one of the few Foo-Dogs left in existence." And Tiao-Wen looked at the ground. "I… believe so, my Lady. I am so glad you were not here; I was worried about you. There were rumors you were with child and I-"

He paused, looking at Koga with relief. " I am glad to see you are not alone."

Sesshomaru murmured, " I am … disgusted she would go to these lengths to secure her power. This was her home as much as mine. And you were loyal to her. None of you deserved this fate."

He dropped to a knee, " We are loyal to **_you_** now, Sesshomaru. And I apologize for our ineptitude. I am more than willing to go back to the netherworld if you are displeased with me."

Sesshomaru's sword zipped back into her sheath in a flash of brilliant silver light. Those revived were starting to wander to where Sesshomaru and Koga were, unsure of what they were supposed to be doing.

"It sounds like you are not the one my blade should fall upon, Tiao-Wen. To your feet. I need your assistance." The Foo-Dog murmured, stepping over the twisted golden metal that had one been the Eastern gate.

Koga followed, and she could feel his shoulder against hers at almost all times. She sniffed around a little… sighing when she found that what she was looking for was under a huge pile of twisted wood and metal.

"Of course." She went to start moving one of the pillars – only to have Koga gently take the other end of it; lifting it over both shoulders and out of her grip.

"I can do it. Just tell me what to do."

Sesshomaru huffed in irritation. She was pregnant, not disabled.

"I don't need to be coddled. Give me that pillar."

Koga leaned in, kissing her forehead lightly. " I know. But I wanna do this for you. It's really heavy, and the ash fumes aren't great for you right now. Is that okay?" And waited. Sesshomaru fumed for a moment before finally moving back a bit and muttering,

"I need to get to a door underneath. All of this needs to be moved out of my way."

The wolf and Tiao-Wen worked together; and soon, there was a path cleared. Underneath, the outline of a very small, rectangular trapdoor could be seen. Sesshomaru crouched near it, tracing out an infinitely complicated pattern with a claw. Her acid glowing green for a moment before a soft click was heard, and a handle popped up seemingly from nowhere.

"How was this not destroyed?"

Sesshomaru murmured, " I created it. The plates of the walls are reinforced in dragon scale and blood. There is almost no organic material this vault can be destroyed by. Except perhaps my own venom."

Koga and the guard looked at each other. Sharing a look of shocked wonder. Neither of them guessed Sesshomaru was any good at that sort of thing. Koga felt like each time he thought he knew everything about Sesshomaru… there was always a new secret to be revealed.

Sesshomaru snapped the door open and went down the stairs. Koga and the guard followed.

And were amazed.

It was more wealth than Koga had ever dreamed of: more than he would ever know what to do with. Stacks of gold coins of course, but also jewelry and artifacts of immeasurable value: necklaces and bracelets crafted by snakes and eagles, who were of course the best jewelry makers of all yokai. Swords, shields, scrolls of ancient magic. A pile of velvet-wrapped books with yellowed pages: the histories and legends of the Foo-Dog line.

A dragon egg rested off to Koga's left elbow: warm in a bed of foxfire coals that would never grow cold.

Sesshomaru seemed unmoved by their expressions and grabbed a few sacks close to the door. Counting out coin from the stacks carefully into two separate bags and drawing the drawstring shut.

Tsking in irritation when Koga and Tiao-Wen remained rooted to the spot. Their eyes wide with wonder.

"Out of the way."

Reluctantly, they headed out into the sunlight. Sesshomaru shut the door, and the handle clicked; disappearing completely from view. Sesshomaru handed Tiao-Wen the two bags, instructing,

"You will split the men in two. Give one of these bags to Lihai: the horse soldier. He is one I trust. He and half the men will go to Edo: he will buy supplies to begin to rebuild the Palace. Start small; you will all need a roof over your head, a working hearth. Clean food and water. I am not sure how much damage the dragonfire did to our systems but you must check all of them before leaving.

You and your men will go to Nara; you will be in charge of rations and establishing our fields and cattle. There is little time to waste; dragonfire is an excellent purifier of soil. Now will be the perfect time to get everything re-established well before winter. Bring-" Sesshomaru glanced into the crowd to make sure they were resurrected, "Eito and Daiki with you. They were farmhands before they became soldiers. Now, go."

Tiao -Wen hesitated, " My Lady. If Inukimi returns-"

"She will not. She is more concerned with me than with the condition of the Foo-Dog Palace. Her time will be spent trying to track me down and kill my pups. She will stay in her private quarters in the sky. And watch. And listen. But she will not move against you." Sesshomaru murmured.

Tiao-Wen swallowed thickly,

"My lady, will you be safe?"

Koga growled softly, "Sesshomaru will be staying with me in the wolf tribe. I won't let Inukimi anywhere near her."

And Tiao-Wen looked Koga over. Still nervous.

"I'd… prefer to be with you my Lady. To help protect you."

Sesshomaru's fur bristled slightly, as did Koga's. Everyone was obsessed with destroying her or protecting her. It was most irritating.

Koga was angry for a different reason. He saw a slight… interest, in Tiao-Wen's gaze. Sesshomaru was oblivious to the slight tinge of lust in the guard's gaze, but Koga was **_pissed_**.

Sesshomaru murmured, "I am still myself, Tiao-Wen, not a pup. Koga is all the protection I require. I trust him." She felt Koga's arm around her waist, and shivered.

His claws fit perfectly in the curve of her hip. About an inch from that very sensitive new curve.

The wolf was being very touchy, today.

She would not have all these random Foo-Dogs coddling her, it made her sick. Only Koga was allowed to 'protect' her, because his protection didn't feel condescending.

He always gave her a choice. He was the only exception.

The wolf looked at Sesshomaru in quiet surprise; pride and affection for his mate swelling in his chest.

_She trusts me. _

Koga pressed a very gentle, possessive kiss to her neck, parting that silver waterfall with his finger. She stroked his jaw once affectionately with her long claws and met his gaze with one golden, smoldering eye. Half-hidden under a curtain of seafoam lashes.

And Koga met the guard's gaze in a challenging manner. Neon blue, framed in black lashes.

_See? She is **mine**. You stay the hell away._

The Foo-Dog felt a shiver of fear, dropping his gaze in humiliation. He could still feel Koga's wrathful gaze though, and it burned a hole right through him.

He nodded and whispered, " As you wish, my lady." feeling somewhat awkward. He'd never imagined Sesshomaru would tolerate being touched; much less kissed, in plain sight of everyone.

The Foo-Dog thought he knew his Lord well… but the wolf was changing Sesshomaru in a way he could have never imagined.

Tiao-Wen headed out to the confused soldiers; breaking the men into two separate groups and mounting their yokai horses; many different shades of red and purple. And soon, they were off.

Koga relaxed a bit when they left; his arm slipping free of Sesshomaru and his tail going back to its normal, low, relaxed position.

"I think we should go."

Koga said. It didn't feel good, being among the rubble like this. It felt… sad. This felt like a sad place. His gaze went to a shattered plate on the ground. It was white, rimmed with gold. Dogs jumping along the brim.

Beautiful and destroyed beyond repair.

Sesshomaru looked out at the wreckage and said, quietly, "In a moment. I am trying to understand my own motivation for rebuilding this place. I suppose…" She ran a claw gently along another down pillar. Avoiding a piece of golden metal at the end. Still steaming and dripping occasionally.

"Father and I spent time some time here. I wanted to preserve those good memories."

Koga's expression softened. Slipping his hand into hers silently.

_Why aren't I happy? _

_This frees my children. I shouldn't even bother rebuilding it, but I… I can't leave it like this. _

This was the place the Inu No Taisho had raised Sesshomaru; for a while. Where they'd played and hunted in the gardens. Where Sesshomaru had fallen asleep against Toga's thick neck and shoulders. Where he'd first learned how to take his demon form.

Where Inukimi had struck Sesshomaru hard across the face when he was scarcely out of puphood, leaving him blind in one eye for a half-year. Angry at him for being too needy, for asking to be held. For showing that same weakness that the Inu No Taisho had for affection.

Sesshomaru traced the area on her face where she'd been struck absently. She would never forget the sting of Inukimi's claws, the feeling of her own eyeball popping like a grape under the ruined lid. The Foo-Dog felt Koga's worry lacing through her.

He was so attentive. In a lot of ways, Koga reminded her of her father. Fiercely protective.

Sesshomaru would never forget the look on Toga's face when he'd seen those five, long scratches. He'd taken Sesshomaru away from Inukimi for a long time. But the damage had been done: the boy had barely spoken. Too numb to feel the warmth of his father's love until it was too late.

_I miss you. But you would encourage me to take the throne, would you not?_

_Prevent all this death and suffering?_

_I can't leave the West in turmoil. The other royals are nowhere near strong enough, smart enough, to protect my territories. _

_If I go down… I take them all with me. _

Sesshomaru hated the thought of having to take the throne. But if she didn't… There would be war. Oh, so much. So many innocent yokai would die as yokai fought to take the territories Inukimi had left behind.

All Sesshomaru could see was Rin, on that dirt road. She did not want to be responsible for death and suffering.

" I wanted the pups to see it. I wished for them to be able to choose their own destinies, not be forced to inherit my…" She paused, gave a weak little laugh; picking up a piece of burned wood.

Watching as the wind turned into a trail of ash that floated off into the breeze.

"My empire of ash."

She was in his arms once more, and was surprised to feel tears running down her face.

"Why am I crying Koga." She whispered into his chest. Her voice muffled.

"You've just had a long day, beautiful." He whispered back into her pointed ear. She almost smiled, and then continued to sob silently. Her shoulders shaking. He transformed, curled up around her. A huge black wolf in the midst of smoking red, orange, and black rubble.

Protecting the tiny white sliver that was Sesshomaru. Holding her tight to his belly and ribcage. Head and muzzle and tail tucked around her so snugly. Letting her have a good cry against his fur.

The wind picked up.

And just for a moment, Sesshomaru caught Kagura's scent in the breeze.

Her cool touch drying Sesshomaru's hot tears.

At some point after she was finished, they made their way back to the wolf tribe.

Sometime in the middle of the night, Sesshomaru moved to Koga's bed.

And after that night, she never slept in her own 'bed': though, she tried very hard to hide that fact.

But Koga always found her smell and warmth beside him every morning. Well, that, and the occasional sixty-inch silver hairs deep in his pelts.

And he fell even deeper in love.

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Please note- this is on hiatus for now. I am continuing a version of it on Tumblr under solstice doujinshi if anyone is interested.


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